▲ Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech during a welcome ceremony upon his arrival at the White House alongside U.S. President Donald Trump
Some chief executive officers of Chinese companies have arrived in Washington to coincide with Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States, though they were reportedly not included in his official entourage.
On the 24th, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong reported that a small number of Chinese corporate CEOs holding U.S. visas arrived in Washington separately from President Xi's official delegation.
A source explained that China's security and protection procedures differ significantly from those of the United States, noting that unlike U.S. CEOs who traveled alongside President Trump during his visit to China last May, these business figures were not included on President Xi's special aircraft or official entourage.
Companies widely mentioned as likely to have attendees include China's largest e-commerce firm Alibaba, electric vehicle and home appliance manufacturer Xiaomi, electric vehicle battery maker CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.), and China's largest electric vehicle maker BYD.
The SCMP reported that it has not been confirmed which specific executives from each company actually arrived in Washington.
The attendance of Chinese business leaders at the state dinner is also known to be linked to last-minute economic and trade negotiations between the U.S. and China.
Sources explained that the issue of Chinese business leaders attending the event was also discussed during the consultation process between U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
As Secretary Bessent and Vice Premier He met at the World Bank in Washington on the 23rd local time—one day prior to the U.S.-China summit—and agreed to extend the "Busan Agreement," which serves as a bilateral trade truce, by two months until January 10 next year, sources noted that possibilities have opened up for Chinese business leaders to attend the state dinner or separate events.
Another source reported that if a separate business delegation is formed, it is likely to center around Chinese electric vehicle companies that have a strong interest in U.S. investment opportunities.
Meanwhile, the top management of some Chinese artificial intelligence companies reportedly decided not to participate in this visit to the U.S. due to security concerns.
Initially, the Chinese side had reportedly pushed to include a delegation of Chinese business leaders in President Xi's visit to the U.S., reciprocating the large-scale accompaniment of major American business figures during President Trump's state visit to China last May.
At that time, President Trump visited China accompanied by about 18 major corporate CEOs, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
However, the SCMP reported that plans to include Chinese business leaders in President Xi's official visiting entourage fell through due to differences between the two countries regarding Chinese corporate investments in the U.S. and a lack of communication during event preparations.
In particular, while the Chinese side believed that a similar level of reciprocity should be applied since American business figures accompanied President Trump to China, the U.S. side reportedly interpreted such reciprocity as applying only to high-ranking officials from both nations.
The SCMP explained that around 100 people can attend the White House state dinner, with approximately 30 seats allocated to the Chinese side.
Among American business figures, CEOs such as Musk, Huang, Cook, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are reportedly included on the list of attendees for the dinner.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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