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Chinese executives with US visas arrived in Washington ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit, traveling separately; their attendance at White House state dinner was uncertain.
US President Donald Trump salutes next to Chinese President Xi Jinping before delivering remarks at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, September 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
A small group of Chinese chief executives holding US visas has reached Washington ahead of President Xi Jinping’s state visit, travelling separately from his official delegation, according to multiple sources familiar with the arrangements. As of Wednesday, the executives had not been confirmed for a seat at Thursday’s White House state dinner.
The executives did not fly with Xi’s official party or aboard his aircraft. One source said Beijing’s security protocol differs from Washington’s, noting the contrast with the American chief executives who accompanied President Donald Trump to Beijing in May.
Two sources said it was unlikely any Chinese business leader had applied for a new visa specifically for the summit. The final call on their attendance was tied partly to talks between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, which touched on the matter during a Wednesday meeting.
Bessent and He met at the World Bank in Washington on Wednesday, their second meeting in four days following talks in New York on Sunday. Bessent had described that earlier session as addressing “unfinished business” before the leaders’ summit.
After Wednesday’s meeting, Bessent announced the two sides had agreed to extend the “Busan arrangement” on trade, reached after the Xi-Trump talks in South Korea, by two months to 10 January. US officials had downplayed the likelihood of an extension being confirmed this week, though the South China Morning Post reported in August that one was almost certain.
Two sources said the extension had kept open the possibility of the executives appearing at the dinner and any accompanying events. One source cautioned their presence would carry more symbolic weight than substance, adding that some executives might use the occasion to raise complaints about US investment restrictions directly with officials, calling their attendance largely a formality.
A separate source said Trump’s priority remained negotiating a new Board of Investment, which had made seating Chinese executives at the dinner a lower-order concern for the US side. For Beijing, the optics still mattered: having Chinese chief executives present would offset the visibility of American technology bosses and signal the scale of China’s own corporate sector, one source said.
Names under discussion included executives from Alibaba, Xiaomi, CATL and BYD, according to one source. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. Another source said any backup delegation would likely be drawn from Chinese electric-vehicle firms, described as the most eager to pursue US investment opportunities. Several senior executives from Chinese artificial intelligence companies were said to be skipping the summit over security concerns.
One insider said the White House dinner venue could seat up to 100 guests, with roughly 30 seats allotted to the Chinese side; if those seats went unfilled, the administration would invite additional American guests, citing strong demand.
Confirmed American attendees include Tesla chief executive Elon Musk, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Apple chief executive Tim Cook, all of whom joined Trump’s May delegation to Beijing. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, who did not travel with Trump in May, is also on Thursday’s guest list.
Trump’s May trip involved around 18 chief executives and produced no headline corporate deals, though informal gatherings followed and some American executives extended their stay in Beijing. Sources said a similar arrangement had been discussed for Xi’s Washington visit but was no longer under consideration.
The South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday that disagreements over possible investment announcements had complicated plans for a Chinese business delegation to accompany Xi. One source said both sides had yet to agree on terms for the Board of Investment, particularly regarding prospective Chinese ventures. Another attributed the breakdown to differing interpretations of reciprocity, with Beijing expecting Washington to match the presence of Musk, Huang and Cook, while the US side confined reciprocity to senior leadership.
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Ask News18A small group of Chinese chief executives holding US visas reached Washington ahead of President Xi Jinping’s state visit, traveling separately from his official delegation. Names under discussion for potential attendance included executives from prominent companies such as Alibaba, Xiaomi, CATL, and BYD.
Ask News18About the Author
Anoshito Banerjee is a digital journalist at CNN-News18, specialising in Indian foreign policy, global diplomacy, South and West Asian geopolitics, and strategic affairs. His reporting spans hard news…Read More
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
September 24, 2026, 7:59 PM IST
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