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US executives granted audience with Premier Li

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Li does not meet with other foreign CEOs 2nd year in a row

(Adds other participants at the meeting in paragraphs 15-16)

By Laurie Chen

BEIJING, March 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator

Steve Daines met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing with a

group of seven American executives on Sunday, following an

annual business summit in the Chinese capital attended by top

foreign CEOs.

Daines was accompanied by Qualcomm ( QCOM ) CEO Cristiano

Amon, Pfizer ( PFE ) CEO Albert Bourla, Cargill CEO Brian Sikes,

Boeing Global Senior Vice President Brendan Nelson, and

other executives at Beijing's Great Hall of the People,

according to a foreign media pool report.

Daines' trip marks the first time a U.S. politician has

visited China since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in

January. Beijing is seeking high-level dialogue with the new

administration, with hopes of reaching a deal to avert further

tariff pressure from Washington.

Daines, a staunch supporter of Trump and member of the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was heavily involved in

negotiations over U.S.-China trade during Trump's first term,

and has made multiple trips to China as a senator.

He lived in Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the 1990s while

working as an executive for Proctor & Gamble, which he

referenced in his opening speech.

"Collectively, these seven companies have over 275 years of

experience of doing business in China," Daines said as he

introduced the American CEOs, according to a pool transcript.

"These companies have each been here decades, growing the

businesses, contributing significantly to growing the businesses

and creating success."

Beijing has been trying to attract foreign investment to

offset U.S. tariff pressure and its slowing domestic economy.

The U.S. executives were granted an audience with Li Qiang,

who will not meet separately with other foreign CEOs at the

China Development Forum for the second year in a row.

The annual closed-door meeting with the premier was

traditionally viewed as a summit highlight by foreign CEOs, who

saw it as an opportunity to air their concerns.

Relations between China and the U.S. have come under new

strain after Trump slapped additional tariffs on Chinese goods,

accusing Beijing of not doing enough to stem the flow of

fentanyl into the United States.

In early April, Trump is expected to unleash a round of

tariffs on all countries that tax U.S. imports, potentially

including China. A U.S. review of whether China has fulfilled

promises made during the "phase one" trade deal from Trump's

first administration is set to conclude on April 1.

"Currently, U.S.-China relations have come to an important

juncture," Li told Daines in their meeting, stressing the need

to choose dialogue over confrontation.

"Our two sides need to choose dialogue over confrontation,

win-win cooperation over zero-sum competition," Li said.

Other Chinese officials present at the meeting with Daines

and the U.S. executives included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao,

Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, and the director of

China's state planner, Zheng Shanjie.

The U.S. Embassy's newly arrived charge d'affaires, Anny Vu,

was also present at the meeting.

Daines met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Beijing on

Saturday. He discussed the need for China to stop the flow of

fentanyl precursors and "expressed hope that further high-level

talks between the U.S. and China will take place in the near

future," according to a post he put on social media platform X.