China is arranging for executives from its information technology, electric vehicle and aerospace industries to accompany President Xi Jinping on a visit to the United States about two weeks from now.
China and the U.S. are making last-minute arrangements on details of the trip, including the makeup of the business delegation, the South China Morning Post reported on the 11th.
China is reviewing its list of accompanying executives with reference to the U.S. business delegation that traveled with President Donald Trump to China in May, according to the Hong Kong newspaper. Chief executives of leading American companies including Tesla, Apple, Nvidia and Boeing joined that trip. The SCMP said executives representing China's technology, finance, electric vehicle and aerospace industries were likely to be included on the list for the U.S. visit.
The delegation is expected to focus less on concrete economic results such as large investment deals than on demonstrating that economic ties between the two countries remain close. Sources said the visit would be largely symbolic in nature, given continuing friction between the two governments over Chinese corporate investment in the U.S.
A meeting between Xi and Trump would be the two leaders' second face-to-face summit this year. But the SCMP said expectations were low for a breakthrough in relations, as the two countries remain at odds over core technologies such as artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductors.
Washington has recently accused Chinese AI companies of engaging in so-called distillation, using the outputs of advanced U.S. AI models to train their own. Beijing has pushed back strongly, saying the U.S. is using such allegations as a pretext to curb the growth of its AI industry.
The two sides are expected to continue working-level negotiations on key issues including AI, trade and investment until shortly before Xi's departure.
A separate meeting is also being arranged between Vice Premier He Lifeng, who oversees China's economic policy, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ahead of Xi's visit. The two met in Seoul in May to coordinate economic and trade issues in advance of the leaders' talks. This time, the main agenda items are expected to include an AI dialogue and the operation of consultative bodies on trade and investment.
Some progress is seen as possible on trade, but negotiations over Chinese companies' investment in the U.S. have been difficult, according to sources. China wants Washington to designate in advance the industries open to Chinese capital, while the U.S. prefers to screen each investment individually.
Trump has said repeatedly that Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, will visit the U.S. on the 24th of this month. The Chinese government has yet to officially confirm a schedule, saying only that the two sides are in communication regarding the leaders' exchange plans.
