U.S.-China Business Council President Sean Stein attended a meeting with US Senator Steve Daines and Chinese Premier Li Qiang amid escalating US-China trade tensions, highlighting the organization’s role in facilitating political and business ties with an authoritarian regime.

U.S.-China Business Council President Sean Stein participated in a high-level meeting in Beijing between U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. This meeting, following a global roundtable with Chinese President Xi Jinping and international executives, underscores the Council's role in facilitating corporate and political engagement amid escalating U.S.-China trade tensions.

On January 19, 2025, representatives of the US-China Business Council met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Washington. The meeting, held as Vice President Han attended President-elect Trump’s inauguration, focused on discussing US business interests, structural policy reforms in China, and regulatory barriers to trade, highlighting the Council's role in facilitating dialogue between US companies and Chinese government officials.

Following a meeting between Xi Jinping and U.S. business leaders in Beijing, the US-China Business Council released a statement expressing honor in having engaged with China’s top leader. The statement outlined concerns over declining trade, investment, and business confidence and emphasized the need for improvements in regulatory transparency, cross-border data flows, government procurement, and intellectual property protection.

On December 12, 2023, the US-China Business Council issued a statement in response to the House Select Committee's report on strategic competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party. The statement expressed appreciation for changes made regarding PNTR, while questioning the recommendation to create a new tariff column, citing concerns that tariff increases could negatively impact the US economy and jobs. The council positioned itself as a constructive resource to Congress and the Biden administration in fostering dialogue on US national security and commerce with China.

On September 20, 2023, representatives from the US-China Business Council met with China's Vice President Han Zheng during the UN General Assembly in New York. In the meeting, USCBC leaders, including its President and other prominent board members, stressed the benefits of the longstanding US-China economic relationship and urged the Chinese government to create a more predictable regulatory environment to boost US investment and address bilateral challenges. This engagement with a high-ranking official from an authoritarian regime raises concerns about the legitimization of repressive practices.