China Pushing for Business Leaders to Accompany Xi on US Visit: Report

China is pushing for major business leaders in sectors such as information technology, electric vehicles, and aerospace to accompany President Xi Jinping on his upcoming visit to the United States slated for late this month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on September 11.

According to multiple sources, China and the United States are in final negotiations regarding the details, including the composition of the business delegation, ahead of President Xi's visit.

The Chinese side is reportedly reviewing the list of business figures by referencing the U.S. CEO delegation that accompanied U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to China last May.

At the time, President Trump's trip to China was accompanied by around 10 business figures, including CEOs of major U.S. companies such as Tesla, Apple, Nvidia, and Boeing.

Sources said that as a result, President Xi's delegation is expected to include major Chinese business figures from the technology, finance, electric vehicle, and aerospace sectors.

One source said that both countries are placing significant importance on "reciprocity" across the board for President Xi's visit, including the formation of the business delegation, while another source told the SCMP that events for business leaders from both countries to interact during President Xi's visit are also being arranged.

However, some Chinese business figures on the list of candidates have reportedly not yet been issued U.S. visas, prompting the Chinese side to ask the U.S. to speed up the visa issuance process.

Sources predicted that the Chinese business delegation will focus on a "symbolic nature" highlighting bilateral economic relations rather than producing concrete outcomes such as actual investment deals.

If this summit takes place, it will be the second face-to-face summit between President Xi and President Trump this year, but the SCMP pointed out that expectations are not high for the talks to produce a breakthrough as the two countries continue to clash over artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced semiconductors.

Recently, the United States criticized Chinese AI developers for acquiring technology by distilling advanced U.S. models, and China countered by claiming that the U.S. is using this as a pretext to monopolize the AI industry.

The media outlet projected that the two countries will continue negotiations on core economic and trade agenda items until right before the summit.

According to sources, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are pushing to hold a separate meeting within days ahead of President Xi's visit.

This appears similar to the format used in May just before President Trump's visit to China, when the two met in Seoul to coordinate economic and trade issues in advance.

The SCMP anticipated that the two will discuss key agenda items such as the AI dialogue and the trade and investment committee agreed upon at their May meeting.

While there is a possibility of some progress in trade negotiations, discussions in the investment sector are facing difficulties due to opposition from the U.S. side, sources said.

China hopes the U.S. will prepare a specified list of industrial sectors where Chinese investment is permitted, whereas the U.S. is known to prefer a case-by-case screening approach for each individual investment.

Previously, President Trump mentioned multiple times that President Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, will visit the United States on the 24th.

However, China has not officially confirmed the schedule for President Xi's visit, stating only that "both sides are communicating regarding schedules for exchanges between the leaders."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.