Key facts
- The U.S. and China are preparing for AI safety talks in mid-September.
- President Xi Jinping plans to bring a large business delegation to his upcoming visit to Washington.
- This is an unusual move given U.S. skepticism toward Chinese investment and Beijing's strained ties with its private sector.
- The delegation aims to signal China's willingness to support investment and commercial ties with the U.S.
- Chinese companies have faced increased scrutiny of their U.S. investments and operations.
- Xi last traveled abroad with a large business delegation in 2015.
President Xi Jinping is preparing to bring a large business delegation with him on his upcoming visit to Washington, a move that is unusual given U.S. skepticism toward Chinese investment and Beijing's strained ties with its private sector. The delegation, which has not been previously reported, is intended to signal China's willingness to support investment and commercial ties with the U.S., potentially offering economic wins ahead of midterm elections.
Chinese companies have faced increasing scrutiny of their U.S. investments and business operations in recent years, including a 100% tariff on imported Chinese EVs, bans on foreign drone and robot imports, and forced divestitures of operations like TikTok's U.S. arm. Major Chinese tech firms have also been placed on U.S. national security and Pentagon blacklists.
Xi last traveled abroad with a significant business contingent in 2015, which included Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Tencent founder Pony Ma. That visit resulted in a $38 billion agreement for 300 Boeing aircraft, and Xi met with U.S. technology executives. In contrast, U.S. President Donald Trump has led large delegations of American executives, including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Elon Musk, to China in recent years.
Sources familiar with the discussions suggest that while the summit aims to manage trade and investment ties, significant deliverables are unlikely due to the challenging U.S. environment for Chinese investment. The two nations remain divided on which products should qualify as 'non-sensitive' for trade discussions.