China leaves business leaders at home as Xi courts Trump in Washington

Chinese business executives were notably absent during President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington, a stark contrast to the US business leaders who attended the White House state banquet. Only 19 Chinese delegation members attended the event, out of a guest list of 134. Experts speculated on the reasons behind the imbalance, with some suggesting it reflected Xi and China's priorities.

Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute, stated that Xi and China's focus is on optics rather than business deals. However, others proposed that visa issues, internal bureaucracy, and a deliberate move by Beijing could be factors. The Chinese foreign ministry declined to comment on whether a trade delegation would accompany Xi.

Despite the absence of business leaders, high-profile US tech figures, including Apple's Tim Cook, Lisa Su of AMD, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang, attended the state banquet. Experts noted that China's business activities in the US face challenges such as political pushback in Congress and a lack of leverage for Chinese CEOs. However, they also emphasized the importance of the meeting between Xi and Trump, suggesting it would benefit both nations in the long term.