Senator Steve Daines, a prominent ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, completed a multi-day visit to China’s technology hubs in late August, marking a rare diplomatic engagement ahead of an anticipated summit between President Trump and President Xi Jinping in Washington. The Montana Republican traveled from August 23 to 26 to Hangzhou and Guangzhou, meeting with leading technology companies and academic institutions focused on artificial intelligence and aerospace.
According to Chinese local government statements and corporate reports, Daines toured a major Chinese university and visited several tech firms, including Guangzhou-based EHang, a manufacturer of autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. During his visit, Daines experienced a flight in one of EHang’s eVTOL models alongside his wife, Cindy Daines. The couple’s visit to the company was accompanied by Pauline Kao, the U.S. consul general in Guangzhou; Geng Shuang, vice president of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs; and local government officials.
This visit contrasts with a July trip by the bipartisan U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, whose delegation was reportedly denied access to several major Chinese tech firms. Daines’ engagement reflects ongoing efforts to facilitate dialogue amid intensifying U.S.-China competition in technology sectors, particularly artificial intelligence and space exploration, which are expected to feature prominently in forthcoming high-level discussions.
Daines has acted as a backchannel figure in recent years, fostering communication between Washington and Beijing. In May, he traveled to Beijing to support efforts to stabilize bilateral relations in advance of that month’s Trump visit to China. His August trip was anticipated to help shape the agenda for the upcoming presidential summit. However, neither Daines nor the U.S. Embassy in China has publicly disclosed details about the meetings or their outcomes.
Following his China engagements, Daines was reported to have traveled to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, coinciding with President Xi’s attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s annual summit and a state visit. Days earlier, he had met with U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass to discuss the U.S.-Japan partnership, focusing on the future of artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and energy.
The timing and nature of Daines’ visits suggest continued U.S. efforts to engage on technological and strategic issues with key regional partners and China itself, despite growing tensions over competition and security concerns in advanced technologies.