Saadet Gökce
24 September 2026•Update: 24 September 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit has also brought a small group of Chinese CEOs with US visas to Washington traveling separately, the South China Morning Post reported Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
It said it was not certain whether the executives would have seats at Thursday's White House state dinner for Xi.
"Beijing's security protocol is very different," one source was quoted as saying, noting that the executives did not travel with Xi's official delegation or aboard his aircraft, unlike the American CEOs who arrived in Beijing alongside President Donald Trump in May.
Two sources said it was unlikely that any Chinese business leaders would apply for new US visas for the summit.
They said the final decision on whether Chinese corporate executives would participate in state visit events was partly tied to talks between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. The issue was raised during their unscheduled meeting on Wednesday, according to the report.
One source said the CEOs' presence might generate more optics than substance, with some potentially raising concerns over US investment restrictions with officials. The source described their attendance as largely a formality.
One source said executives from Alibaba, Xiaomi, CATL, and BYD were among those under discussion, while another said the group was likely to include Chinese EV companies keen to explore US investment opportunities.
Rare welcome from Trump
Some US business leaders with interests in China could host Chinese counterparts privately if they miss the banquet, while several Chinese AI executives were skipping the summit over security concerns.
Trump and Xi are holding high-stakes talks in Washington on Thursday, with trade, rare earth minerals, artificial intelligence, and wider geopolitical tensions expected to dominate their discussions.
Trump personally welcomed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington on Wednesday, a rare gesture by any US president, who normally receives visiting leaders at the White House.
It was the first time, at least since 1962, that any US leader had received a foreign leader on the base tarmac.
Xi's three-day state visit marks his first state visit to Washington in more than a decade. The visit coincided with an extension of a US-China trade truce until Jan. 10.
