Washington: Sundar Pichai, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are among the business leaders due to attend a White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, as Washington prepares for talks with Beijing on artificial intelligence, trade and export controls.
The guest list also includes Michael Dell, Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Jane Fraser and Tim Cook. A senior US official said a number of American officials would attend.
The dinner will take place in the East Room Thursday. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will host Xi, his wife, Peng Liyuan, and the Chinese delegation.
Both presidents will deliver remarks at the beginning of the dinner.
“It’ll be a very popular and hot-ticketed event here in Washington D.C.,” a senior US official told reporters.
The announced guest list places prominent technology and business figures at a diplomatic event during a visit expected to cover several issues affecting commerce between the two countries.
Officials did not announce a separate business meeting or specify any role for the dinner guests in the negotiations.
A senior US official said artificial intelligence and the existing trade arrangement, described during the briefing as the “Busan truce”, were on the leaders’ agenda. The official declined to predict what agreements might emerge.
Senior-level discussions with Chinese representatives were also expected in New York over the weekend, including on AI. Officials did not disclose specific American proposals for those talks.
Trade discussions could include limited tariff reductions on goods considered neither sensitive nor strategic. An official said reductions had been discussed for a narrow range of products, without identifying them.
Rare earth supplies and export controls were another point of contention. A senior US official said Washington would not exchange export controls for mineral supplies it believed China had already agreed to provide.
The official said Chinese deliveries had fallen short of US expectations and that the issue would feature in discussions.
Asked about Chinese investment in the American automobile market, the official said applicable security rules and regulations would still have to be met.
The state visit will begin Wednesday, when Trump greets Xi and Peng at Joint Base Andrews for an airport arrival ceremony.
On Thursday, the Trumps will welcome the Chinese couple to the White House. The programme includes an arrival ceremony, a military review and a bilateral meeting between the presidents.
Melania Trump and Peng will have a separate programme that day. Kelly said the first lady’s office could release further details.
The two couples will meet again Friday for private tea at the White House before touring the National Archives.
Kelly said they would view important American founding documents as the United States marks its 250th anniversary. Xi will then leave for Joint Base Andrews to depart.
Trump will return from the UN General Assembly in New York Tuesday evening, ahead of Xi’s arrival. His New York programme includes meetings with the British and Japanese prime ministers and Gulf leaders.
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