The gathering hosted at the White House by U.S. President Donald Trump in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping went beyond an ordinary diplomatic ceremony.
Guests included some of the most prominent figures in American technology, finance and industry. Seated at the same table were leaders of companies at the center of the U.S.–China race for artificial intelligence, advanced chips and technological supremacy.
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The dinner was attended by Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, AMD’s Lisa Su, Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. The guest list also included financial-sector leaders such as JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon and Citigroup’s Jane Fraser.
The presence of these figures gave the evening particular political and economic significance. Representatives of the world’s two largest economies came face to face with the leaders of companies shaping the technologies of the coming decades.
The meeting between Trump and Xi also brought an extension of the trade truce between the United States and China, although the main disputes between the two countries remain unresolved.
According to Reuters, the agreement will remain in effect until January, giving both sides more time to negotiate tariffs, Chinese purchases, supplies of rare-earth minerals and restrictions on technology.
For American and Chinese businesses, this period remains marked by uncertainty, as trade policies and tariffs continue to be directly tied to political relations between Washington and Beijing.
During his talks with the U.S. president, Xi Jinping also raised Taiwan and called on the United States to handle the issue carefully.
The Chinese president also mentioned the “Thucydides Trap,” a concept associated with the risk of conflict when a rising power challenges a dominant one.
Xi said the two countries have shared interests and that a confrontation could be prevented through dialogue and the creation of mechanisms to manage crises. Reuters identified this as one of the summit’s main messages, at a time when tensions between the two powers persist despite the ceremonial atmosphere of the visit.
Artificial intelligence remained one of the central areas of competition between the United States and China. Leaders of companies that control key parts of the sector were present at the dinner.
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and AMD’s Lisa Su represent companies that supply a significant share of the chip infrastructure for artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google’s Sundar Pichai and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg lead the development of new AI models and platforms.
Xi Jinping stressed that the development of artificial intelligence must remain under human control. He also said the United States and China could share views on the opportunities and risks the technology presents.
Arabella Kushner, the 15-year-old daughter of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, also had a prominent place at the dinner.
Arabella sat near her mother and other members of the U.S. president’s family. She is known for her connection to Chinese culture and for learning Mandarin from a young age.
During Trump’s visit to Beijing in 2017, the U.S. president showed Xi Jinping a video of Arabella, then still a child, singing and reciting poetry in Mandarin. Xi praised her Chinese-language skills.
First Lady Melania Trump oversaw preparations for the dinner, while the menu combined American ingredients with elements of Chinese cuisine.
The evening began with Schramsberg’s American “Blanc De Noir” sparkling wine. The wine is associated with the 1972 “Toast to Peace” between U.S. President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. According to the White House, it continues to be served at official events.
The menu included pumpkin and wild mushroom soup, sesame-crusted sea bass and Asian-inspired side dishes. Dessert was vanilla crème brûlée with cherry compote and ice cream made with honey from the White House.
The dinner thus brought diplomacy, politics and American business together in one room, as leaders of the largest technology and financial companies sat across from one of the United States’ main strategic rivals.
Trade, Taiwan, technology, chips and, above all, the race for artificial intelligence were at the heart of the meeting—issues that continue to define relations between Washington and Beijing.
