{
  "id": 9725076,
  "title": "Xi’s security chief among cohort of rising officials at White House banquet",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/xis-security-chief-among-cohort-of-rising-officials-at-white-house",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T07:19:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368782/xis-security-chief-among-cohort-rising-officials-white-house-banquet"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President Xi Jinping's security chief, Zhou Hongxu, attended the White House state banquet on Thursday, alongside a group of emerging Chinese officials. Zhou, a 55-year-old major general in the People's Liberation Army, holds dual roles as director of the Central Guard Bureau and deputy director of the Communist Party's General Office. The banquet featured a notable gathering of high-ranking Chinese officials, including 63-year-old Tang Fangyu, director of the Communist Party's Central Policy Research Office. Tang, a veteran theorist, has frequently accompanied Xi on diplomatic trips. Other prominent attendees included Lu Luhua, the top political secretary of the Chinese president's office, and assistant foreign minister Hong Lei.",
  "summary": "Zhou Hongxu, a 55-year-old People's Liberation Army major general, attended a White House state banquet alongside other rising Chinese officials. According to the South China Morning Post, he oversees President Xi Jinping's security and holds the positions of director of the Central Guard Bureau and deputy director of the Communist Party's General Office.\n\nThe banquet was hosted by US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in honour of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. The event was attended by more than 130 guests, including senior Chinese officials and prominent American tech executives such as Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Tim Cook.\n\nThe state dinner was a lavish event that included speeches from the US and Chinese leaders, as reported by BBC News.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Protesters of Xi’s policies push for change in earshot of White House visit with Trump",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/protesters-of-xis-policies-push-for-change-in-earshot-of-white-house",
        "published": "2026-09-25T01:37:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "China’s Xi shares a rare laugh on White House tour at Trump’s Biden autopen joke",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/chinas-xi-shares-a-rare-laugh-on-white-house-tour-at-trumps-biden",
        "published": "2026-09-25T03:13:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "What was it like inside the White House dinner?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/what-was-it-like-inside-the-white-house-dinner",
        "published": "2026-09-25T04:28:36.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Who attended the White House dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/who-attended-the-white-house-dinner-for-chinese-leader-xi-jinping",
        "published": "2026-09-25T05:01:51.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "Toasts, handshakes and smiles: Moments from Xi’s White House state dinner",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/toasts-handshakes-and-smiles-moments-from-xis-white-house-state-dinner",
        "published": "2026-09-25T05:02:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}