Chinese Business Leaders Left Out Of Xi White House State Dinner

Chinese business leaders who travelled to the US capital for the White House state dinner honouring President Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan were ultimately left without invitations, despite their participation being discussed until the summit’s final hours.

Dinner list left Chinese CEOs outside

American billionaires gathered at the White House last Thursday for the state dinner in honour of Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan.

A group of Chinese business leaders, however, spent the evening on the sidelines after travelling to Washington to join the event.

Of the 134 guests at the White House state dinner, only 19 were part of the Chinese delegation.

Their invitations never arrived, even though their possible participation had been the subject of intense discussion between Washington and Beijing for weeks.

Why they were excluded

Multiple sources said the Chinese business leaders were excluded because of poor communication between the two governments.

The same sources also cited differing views between the two sides on reciprocity.

Another factor, according to multiple sources, was the White House’s unclear attitude towards Chinese investments in the United States.

The exclusion mattered because the executives had travelled to the US capital expecting to join a state dinner that drew American billionaires but left them outside the room.

Source: South China Morning Post