GM CEO Mary Barra to Attend White House State Dinner for Xi Jinping

General Motors chief executive Mary Barra is expected to attend a White House state dinner on Thursday hosted by US President Donald Trump for Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to people familiar with the arrangements.

Barra will be the most prominent Detroit automaker at the event. Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa will not attend because he is out of the country, the sources said. Ford declined to say whether its CEO, Jim Farley, would be present.

The dinner comes at a delicate moment for the US auto industry. Washington has erected a range of trade barriers and policies aimed at keeping Chinese automakers out of the domestic market. Yet Trump said this month that he would be open to Chinese companies building plants in the United States if they hire American workers.

"If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I'd be okay with that," Trump said in an interview on Fox News.

Major automakers, suppliers and dealers have pushed back, urging the president to maintain the barriers. Ford has separately drawn criticism from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over its business partnerships with Chinese companies.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Barra will be among a group of technology and industry executives at the dinner, including leaders from Meta, Apple, Amazon and Tesla.