Senator Steve Daines visits EHang headquarters in Guangzhou

U.S. Senator Steve Daines visited the headquarters of Chinese technology company EHang in Guangzhou on August 29, 2026. During the visit, Daines and a delegation experienced a flight in the EH216-S, a pilotless electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The delegation included Geng Shuang, Vice President of the China People's Diplomatic Association, and Pauline Kao, the U.S. Consul General in Guangzhou, alongside various local foreign affairs officials. EHang noted that its EH216-S holds the world’s first type, production, and standard airworthiness certificates for pilotless eVTOL from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Daines’ visit occurs amid ongoing diplomatic preparations for a planned state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington in September. Daines, a Republican from Montana, has a history of engaging with China, having visited the country multiple times to serve as an informal communication channel between Washington and Beijing.