BEIJING (AP) — The United States wants to improve military-to-military ties with China, a U.S. lawmaker leading a bipartisan congressional delegation said Monday in a meeting with China’s defense minister in Beijing. The current delegation is led by Rep. Adam Smith, a Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. The visit angered Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. The sides restored military dialogue in November 2023, after a rare meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and then-U.S. President Joe Biden. The lawmakers are in China until Thursday.