US senator and Trump supporter Steve Daines is visiting Beijing as tariff fight grows

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US senator and Trump supporter Steve Daines is visiting Beijing as tariff fight grows

2025-03-22 00:25 Last Updated At：00:31

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, has met a senior Chinese diplomat in Beijing at a time when the U.S. and China have swapped tariff threats and harsh words over each others' handling of the illegal trade in fentanyl.

Daines, a Republican from Montana, arrived in the Chinese capital on Thursday after meeting top leaders in Vietnam, according to social media posts by him and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

On Friday, the senator met Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and had a “deep exchange” of views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Daines said on X earlier this week that he would be talking with Chinese officials about curbing the production and distribution of fentanyl and “the need to reduce the trade deficit and ensure fair market access for our Montana farmers, ranchers and producers.”

His office said ahead of the trip that he is coordinating closely with the White House and will be “carrying President Trump's America First agenda."

Daines previously worked as an executive in China and served as a go-between during Trump's first term in office when tariffs were also a major issue. He is the first member of Congress to visit Beijing since Trump took office in January.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said China welcomed Daines and believed “that the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations is in the common interest of the two peoples and in line with the general expectations of the international community.”

Mao gave no details on Daines' agenda or on whom he would meet, but added that “China always believes that China and the U.S. should address their respective concerns through dialogue and consultation on the basis of equality and mutual respect.”

U.S.-China tensions have spiked as the U.S. imposed 20% duties on Chinese goods, drawing retaliatory tariffs of 15% on U.S. farm goods from China this past week. The U.S. accuses China of doing too little to stop the export of precursor materials for fentanyl, a highly potent opiate blamed for tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S.

China responded with a report detailing its efforts to control the illegal trade in fentanyl, specifically the ingredients for the opioid that are made in China, and the foreign minister blasted the U.S. for responding to Beijing’s goodwill with tariffs.

The report said that China and the U.S. have held multiple high-level meetings since early last year to promote cooperation, and that its Narcotics Control Bureau holds regular exchanges with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

China is committed to cooperation, the report said, “but firmly opposes the U.S. imposition of unlawful sanctions and unreasonable pressure on China on the pretext of responding to fentanyl-related issues.”

Also on Friday, Wang Wentao, the Chinese commerce minister, met David Ricks, chief executive officer of the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co., and told the American executive that Beijing hopes multinationals to “overcome the uncertainty in the exterior environment” but continue to do business in China.

Purdue ends McNeese's March Madness run 76-62 to get back to Sweet 16

2025-03-23 05:23 Last Updated At：05:30

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and Purdue used a fast start to roll to a 76-62 win over McNeese in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Fletcher Loyer added 15 points. C.J. Cox finished with 11 points for the Boilermakers (24-11), who advanced through the Midwest Region to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.

Purdue will meet the winner of top-seeded Houston and eighth-seeded Gonzaga in the regional semifinal. In his 16 NCAA Tournament appearances with the Boilermakers, coach Matt Painter is now headed to his eighth Sweet 16.

Painter said the challenge is to sustain the offensive output they've had over the first two rounds.

“We can’t go further without playing great offensively,” Painter said. “We have to execute well, we have to shoot the ball well. That’s not really pressure, that’s just a fact.”

Sincere Parker had 17 points to lead McNeese (28-7). Javohn Garcia added 12 points as the Cowboys came up short in their bid to give the Southland Conference its first Sweet 16 team since Louisiana Tech in 1985.

McNeese came out in the 2-3 zone that was so successful during its first-round win over Clemson.

But Purdue hit 7 of its first 9 field goals and 3 of its first 4 3-point attempts to build an early double-digit advantage. A pair of three-plus minute scoring droughts by the Cowboys and runs of 10-0 and 9-0 by the Boilermakers helped Purdue grow its lead as high as 36-14 in the first half.

“From the start of the game they kind of imposed their will on us," Parker said. "To their credit they made shots and we missed shots.”

The Boilermakers led for all but 19 seconds.

Purdue shot 11 of 26 from the 3-point line for the game and held a 41-24 rebounding edge.

“I thought we played really well these last two games,” Kaufman-Renn said. “We executed well and we stuck to our game plan and then we outrebounded both teams. So we do that, it’s a winning game plan.”

McNeese: Poor shooting prevented the Cowboys from duplicating their first-round magic.

Purdue: A year after making it to the national title game, the Boilermakers are getting some of their best production from Braden Smith and Kaufman-Renn, who both started in that game.

McNeese coach Will Wade declined to confirm whether he had accepted the coaching job at N.C. State, but a source told The Associated Press a deal had been reached. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the school hasn’t publicly discussed its coaching search.

Wade said he'd spend Saturday celebrating what McNeese accomplished this season.

“I’ll worry about that tomorrow,” Wade said. "Look, I’m an honest guy but today I want to put a bow on everything with McNeese if we can. That’ll be up to whatever else happens."

As good as Purdue was offensively against the Cowboys, the Boilermakers will likely have to lean on their defense in the next round. Gonzaga entered the tournament with Division I’s second-ranked scoring offense. Houston was the nation’s fifth-ranked 3-point shooting team.

AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

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