Rick Larsen, the Democratic congressman for Washington state, has his own take on US-China relations. He is optimistic about this relationship and has a unique and fitting analogy.

"The US-China relationship is like the stock market - they always have these ups and downs, but the trend is always upward," said Larsen, who also serves as co-chair of the US-China Working Group.

Larsen, 47, has led five congressional trips to China since 2006 - co-organized with the National Committee on US-China Relations. The latest one took place in February when a group of five congressmen, including Jim Costa of California and Leonard Lance of New Jersey, met government officials and business leaders in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities.