Daines, who previously worked for American consumer goods company Procter & Gamble in south China's economic hub of Guangzhou, said this trip marked his sixth visit to China. He had met Li in 2018, when he served as the Communist Party secretary of Shanghai.
He said this visit comes at a time when there are some important issues to discuss between China and the U.S.
“I’ve always believed in having constructive dialogue and that has been the nature of all my visits to China over the course of many years,” he said.
The U.S. Embassy in China posted on X later Saturday that Daines voiced Trump's ongoing call for Beijing to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors from China. Daines also expressed hopes that further high-level talks between the two countries will take place in the near future.