It was the first reported visit by members of the House of Representatives to China since 2019. A party of senators last visited in 2023.

The delegation was led by Democrat Adam Smith, the former chairman of the House armed services committee, Reuters reported.

The group also included two other members of the committee – Democrats Ro Khanna and Chrissy Houlahan – as well as Republican Michael Baumgartner. They are expected to stay in China until Thursday.

The two countries have been trying to re-establish military communication channels since Beijing shut down contacts in 2022 to protest at a visit to Taiwan by former House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Smith told Dong that the US delegation was willing to “open lines of communication” on peace and security, while the Chinese defence minister responded that he hoped the visit would help the US understand China and its military more.

According to a press release by the House armed services committee, the delegation told Li on Sunday there was a need to “recalibrate the bilateral relationship on diplomatic, economic and security issues”.