Trump-Xi State Dinner Puts Tech CEOs at Centre of Trade Tensions
US tech leaders will attend a state dinner during the Trump-Xi meeting, with AI, chips, rare earths and supply chains at the heart of bilateral tensions.
A state dinner during the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will bring together the heads of some of America's largest technology companies, underscoring the corporate stakes in the bilateral relationship.
While the encounter is formally a matter between two governments, several of the most contentious areas of disagreement directly involve the firms whose leaders will be seated at the table. These include artificial intelligence, semiconductor chips, rare earths, electric vehicles, trade and supply chains.
The guest list reflects how closely the technology sector is tied to the disputes that shape US-China relations. Decisions taken by the two governments on these issues carry immediate consequences for the companies represented at the dinner, from access to critical materials to the rules governing cross-border trade and investment.
The dinner therefore places corporate leaders in proximity to a diplomatic conversation whose outcomes will affect their operations, even as the formal agenda remains one of state-to-state relations.