US House majority leader Chuck Schumer urged China to support the Israeli people and condemn Hamas attacks when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday (9/10).
Schumer is in Beijing with a delegation of six senators, three Democrats and three Republicans.
This is the first visit by a US legislator since 2019 and comes at a time of increasing criticism of China in Congress as the US confronts China’s rise as a global power.
“In the face of a world where change and chaos are intertwined, the relationship between China and the US determines the future and destiny of humanity. “I have told several US presidents that we have 1,000 reasons to improve Sino-US relations and not a single reason to destroy them,” Xi said in his opening speech amid the media presence.
Schumer also met with Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress.
During the meeting, Schumer said that the main goal of his delegation’s visit was to strive for fair trade between the two countries.
He also raised the issue of Chinese companies supplying chemicals to produce fentanyl and possible support for Russia in its war against Ukraine. (uh/ab)