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Steve Daines, a senator with close ties to Donald Trump, is trying to get the president to name him as a special envoy to China to help secure a meeting with Xi Jinping that could pave the way for a summit between the leaders.
The Montana Republican will travel to Beijing next week to attend the China Development Forum (CDF), a high-profile annual event in Beijing that is attended by dozens of US, European and Japanese chief executives.
Several people familiar with the situation said Daines wanted the envoy designation to facilitate a meeting with the Chinese president after the forum — which would be much more difficult without Trump’s backing.
Two people said Daines had floated the proposal to people in Trump’s orbit. But none of the people who spoke to the Financial Times on the condition of anonymity could confirm whether Daines had spoken directly to Trump. The White House declined to comment.
Daines’s office said he “does not have the title of special envoy” but was co-ordinating closely with the White House about his trip to China. Asked whether Daines was trying to arrange a meeting with Xi and was still trying to get the special envoy designation, his office did not comment.
“Senator Daines is planning to travel to China next week and will carry the president’s ‘America First’ message on the need to protect US jobs, establish fair trade between the two countries, and stop the flow and financing of fentanyl coming from China,” his office said.
Daines, who spent six years in China with Procter & Gamble, has told associates that a meeting with Xi on behalf of Trump could help improve US-China relations, according to the people familiar with the idea.
His idea has been welcomed by some US companies who want to prevent more turbulence in relations with Beijing. Trump has imposed a 20 per cent tariff on imports from China, but he has struck a less hostile tone with Beijing than he has with allies such as Canada and Mexico and the EU.
Beijing uses the CDF to promote investment in China. The event also provides chief executives with an opportunity to engage with top Chinese officials. Last year, Apple chief Tim Cook met Chinese Premier Li Qiang. While dozens of corporate leaders participate in the forum each year, US politicians have typically not attended.
People familiar with discussions between Washington and Beijing since Trump took office said the two sides had not engaged in serious talks about a possible summit between the two presidents.
Daines was one of the first Republican senators to endorse Trump for president ahead of his 2024 campaign. Trump last year returned the favour by urging the Montana lawmaker to run for Senate Republican leader.
The senator and his private sector backers wanted to keep the envoy proposal quiet to make it less likely that hawkish administration officials, such as White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, would try to persuade the president that it was a bad idea, according to people familiar with the situation.
Some US chief executives fear they could face a backlash in Washington for attending the CDF, which will be held on March 23 and 24, given the hawkish sentiment towards China on Capitol Hill. Business leaders are holding out hope for a possible meeting with Xi after the CDF event.
While Trump has appointed several vocal China hawks, including Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Mike Waltz as national security adviser, experts in Washington are struggling to work out what stance Trump will take on a range of national security-rated issues.
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