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Nayan Seth

Ji Siqi

Differences between Washington and Beijing over potential investment announcements have created roadblocks for a Chinese business delegation expected to accompany President Xi Jinping on his state visit to the US, according to sources.
The window for travel is narrowing by the hour for these Chinese business leaders.
Xi left China on Wednesday afternoon Beijing time for his first state visit to the US in more than a decade. He is accompanied by first lady Peng Liyuan, chief of staff Cai Qi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, among others, state news agency Xinhua said in a brief report.
Xi and Peng will be honoured with a military display at the White House on Thursday, with ceremonies taking place on the South Lawn, State Floor and Rose Garden. Xi will then hold a summit with US President Donald Trump at the White House, before attending a state banquet that evening.
A source familiar with the discussions said Washington and Beijing had yet to resolve their disagreements over the Board of Investment, particularly over possible Chinese investments in the US, adding to uncertainty over the delegation’s participation.
The investment forum was one of the deliverables from Xi and Trump’s last summit in Beijing in May.
A second source added that poor logistics and a lack of formal engagement or arranged meetings for Chinese businesses coming to Washington were also adding to the uncertainty. The source noted that the Chinese side viewed it as a departure from the principle of reciprocity, under which the arrangements made for US businesses during the May summit in Beijing would be mirrored during Xi’s visit to Washington.
Another source said that he still expected a Chinese delegation to show up, citing the presence of US business leaders at Thursday’s state dinner at the White House.




On the US side, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Apple board chairman Tim Cook are attending the high-profile event.
The South China Morning Post reported earlier that Chinese and US officials were discussing whether business leaders would join Xi’s delegation to Washington, with the idea framed around reciprocity after the US executives joined Trump in May.
However, a final decision had yet to be reached. Figures from some of China’s most prominent firms – including electric vehicle maker BYD, battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), and smart manufacturing giant Xiaomi – were expected to be part of the Chinese delegation.
Another source said it was still possible that no Chinese business delegation would ultimately accompany Xi, although the plan had not yet been finalised last week.
In Beijing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to respond when asked whether Xi will be accompanied by a business delegation.
“I don’t have the relevant information,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, hours before Xi’s departure.
In the run-up to the summit, Washington has sent mixed signals on the prospect of Chinese carmakers investing in the US amid growing opposition from American motor vehicle manufacturers and legislators.
Earlier this month, Trump said he would allow Chinese carmakers to set up manufacturing plants in the US. “If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be OK with it,” he told Fox News.
The White House said last week that the “president’s comments speak for themselves” but that he was not “interested in compromising on our national security”.
“Some of the rules and regulations that present hurdles would still have to be met for some of these types of investments to occur,” a senior White House official said.
On Monday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Chinese carmakers already faced a “lot of natural obstacles” in the US market, indicating that a rollback of US measures was unlikely.


“We also have rules about connected vehicles from China not being able to operate here. So, I think there are just a lot of natural obstacles that would make it challenging for the Chinese to invest here,” he said.
The Commerce Department’s Connected Vehicle Rule, finalised in the final days of the Joe Biden administration, prohibits the import and sale of vehicles containing China-linked hardware or software and certain satellite communication technologies, citing national security concerns over data collection.
Chinese cars also face tariffs of more than 120 per cent, effectively blocking them from the American market.
Both sides continue to wrangle over extending the 2025 Busan trade agreement – even as they report progress on implementing a narrow tariff-reduced trade mechanism, the US-China Board of Trade.
During Trump’s May visit to Beijing, the US business delegation roster also saw last-minute changes – most notably when Huang, the Nvidia boss, boarded Air Force One during a refuelling stop in Anchorage, Alaska.
Alongside Huang, the delegation featured high-profile executives such as Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s then-CEO Cook, and David Solomon from Goldman Sachs – most of whom walked away without concrete deals benefiting their companies.
An exception was Boeing, represented by CEO Kelly Ortberg, which secured a commitment from Beijing for 200 jets, though the purchase has yet to materialise.
During Xi’s 2017 US trip to meet Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, no Chinese business executives accompanied him.
However, during his 2015 state visit during the Barack Obama administration, 15 prominent Chinese corporate leaders – including Alibaba’s Jack Ma and Tencent Holdings’ Pony Ma – joined Xi for high-level business events in Seattle before he travelled to Washington.
Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Even if Chinese CEOs take part this time, political protocol could differ from that of the US. Unlike US executives boarding Air Force One, Chinese business leaders are more likely to travel separately, as in 2015, most had already landed in the US days before Xi’s arrival.


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With the window for travel narrowing by the hour, uncertainty surrounds the inclusion of corporate leaders in China’s delegation


With the window for travel narrowing by the hour, uncertainty surrounds the inclusion of corporate leaders in China’s delegation.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}With the window for travel narrowing by the hour, uncertainty surrounds the inclusion of corporate leaders in China’s delegation

With the window for travel narrowing by the hour, uncertainty surrounds the inclusion of corporate leaders in China’s delegation