Schumer Plans China Codel

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is planning his own trip to China following recent visits by top Administration officials trying to thaw out frosty bilateral relations between the two economic powers.

Sen. Schumer will lead a bipartisan Congressional delegation that will include Senate Finance Committee ranking member Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) as the top Republican participating in the visit.

Sen. Schumer has long been something of a China hawk when it comes to economic relations. For years he attempted to get legislation through Congress to declare Beijing a currency manipulator. More recently, his focus is on making sure China is playing by the trade rules and making
US manufacturing more competitive vis a vis China. He has expressed interest in passing China competitiveness legislation in the Senate this year, but a draft bill so far has not emerged, making it more likely legislation will wait until next year.

The visit is tentatively scheduled to take place sometime in October. Beijing is encouraging the visit.