The list of potential attendees for a state dinner on Thursday in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping reads like a who's who of technology executives, business leaders and officials, highlighting the focus of the visit that comes amid tensions over global technology supremacy, microchips and AI safety. The White House has not released a guest list to the media but among those expected to attend the banquet on Thursday night, according to reports, are Tesla and Space X CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and former Apple CEO Tim Cook. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not revealed who will be there from its side, but reports have suggested that Chinese CEOs who are part of Xi's delegation are likely to attend.
The Chinese president has decided to skip the U.N. General Assembly and instead travel to Washington for his summit with Trump. This "reflects the importance Beijing currently places on managing its relationship with the United States at the leader-to-leader level," William Yang, Senior Analyst for Northeast Asia, International Crisis Group told Newsweek.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment. Xi was given a rare tarmac welcome by a U.S. president for a state visit when Donald Trump greeted him at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland at 6 p.m. The Chinese leader was greeted by an honor guard along a long red carpet leading from Xi's aircraft as Trump and first lady Melania Trump stood waiting.
A flyover by two B-1 bombers, military honor units from each branch of the U.S. armed forces, flower presentations, and a flag display of both countries accompanied by both national anthems were part of the ceremony. After Xi's arrival, the Trump administration announced an extension of the U.S.-China trade truce through January 10, easing the threat of a renewed tariff fight which had strained ties between the world's two biggest economies. On Thursday, a state dinner will take place in the White House's East Room.
It will be hosted by Trump and the first lady, with Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, the guests of honor. Trump and Xi will make speeches at the start of the evening. Artificial intelligence, advanced chips, and computing infrastructure are key aspects of the rivalry between the U.S. and China, and the dinner guests reported to be attending have links to those sectors and business interests connected to the Chinese market.
As well as Bezos, Musk and Cook, Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia is also expected to attend. The Trump administration has allowed his company to ship its H200 AI chips to approved customers in China. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has also been invited, according to CNBC, citing a source familiar with the matter.
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