{
  "id": 9726035,
  "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-9726035",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-25T07:19:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
    "slug": "reuters-business-via-scmp",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3368782/xis-security-chief-among-cohort-rising-officials-white-house-banquet"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The White House state banquet on Thursday night saw a notable appearance by Zhou Hongxu, the official overseeing President Xi Jinping’s security. Zhou, a 55-year-old People’s Liberation Army major general, was described as both director of the Central Guard Bureau and deputy director of the Communist Party’s General Office, a powerful administrative position. His dual role aligns with previous practices established during the tenure of prior Chinese leaders. Zhou has been accompanying Xi at major international events, including the Group of 20 summit in Bali in 2022 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in San Francisco in 2023. Other prominent officials in their 50s and early 60s also attended the banquet, including Tang Fangyu, the director of the Communist Party’s Central Policy Research Office, and Lu Luhua, the top political secretary of the Chinese president’s office.",
  "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."
}