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The guest list for Thursday’s state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping reads like a who’s who of technology executives, business leaders and government officials, underscoring the focus of his visit amid tensions over global technology competition, microchips and AI safety.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for the dinner in the White House’s East Room Thursday night.
More than 130 guests attended the dinner, including some of the biggest names in American technology and business. Among them were Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Apple Chairman Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Michael Dell and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser.
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Xi skipped the U.N. General Assembly to travel to Washington for his summit with Trump, as the U.S. and China navigate tensions over technology, semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
This "reflects the importance Beijing currently places on managing its relationship with the United States at the leader-to-leader level," William Yang, Senior Analyst for Northeast Asia, International Crisis Group told Newsweek.
First lady Melania Trump led dinner preparations, which featured a menu combining American ingredients with subtle Chinese influences, performances by military musicians and décor incorporating red flowers and other Chinese-inspired elements.
The White House provided Newsweek with the full guest list, which includes:
- President Donald J. Trump
- First lady Melania Trump
- President Xi Jinping
- Madame Peng Liyuan
- Vice President JD Vance
- Second lady Usha Vance
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio
- Jeanette Rubio, Spouse of the Secretary of State
- Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
- U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue
- Bonnie Perdue, Spouse of the US Ambassador to China
- Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent
- John Freeman, Spouse of the Secretary of the Treasury
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
- Ambassador Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative
- Marlo Greer, Spouse of Ambassador Greer
- Cai Qi, CPC Political Bureau Standing Committee Member, Chief of Staff to President Xi
- Wang Yi, CPC Political Bureau Central Committee Member
- He Lifeng, CPC Political Bureau Central Committee, Vice Premier of State Council
- Zheng Shanjie, Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission
- Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce
- Ma Zhaoxu, Executive Vice Foreign Minister
- Ambassador Xie Feng, Chinese Ambassador to the United States
- Ms. Ivanka Trump
- Mr. Eric Trump
- Ms. Lara Trump
- Ms. Tiffany Trump
- Mr. Michael Boulos
- Mr. Viktor Knavs
- Ms. Arabella Kushner
- Jensen Huang, NVIDIA, CEO
- Lori Huang, Spouse of Jensen Huang
- Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, CEO
- Dr. Lisa Su, Advanced Micro Devices, CEO
- Daniel Lin, Spouse of Lisa Su
- Tim Cook, Chairman of the Board of Apple
- John F.W. Rogers, Goldman Sachs EVP and Secretary to the Board
- Lynn Martin, President of the NYSE
- Linda Mills, President of New York University
- Eric Yuan, Zoom, CEO
- Tang Fangyu Director, Central Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee
- Minister of Finance Mr. Lan Fo'an
- Mme. Wang Dan, Wife of Ambassador Xie Feng
- Zhou Hongxu Deputy Director, General Office of the CPC Central Committee Director, Central Security Bureau
- Lyu Luhua, Secretary to the President
- Hong Lei, Assistant Foreign Minister Director General, Protocol Department
- Cai Wei, Assistant Foreign Minister Director General, Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs
- Mao Ning, Director General, Department of Press, Communication and Public Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Zhang Quan, Secretary to Madame Peng
- Zhang Yongchao, Deputy Director General, Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Kelly Ortberg, Boeing, CEO
- Larry Fink, Blackrock, CEO
- Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone, CEO
- Sam Altman, OpenAI, CEO
- Greg Brockman, OpenAI, President & Co-Founder
- Anna Brockman, Wife of Greg Brockman
- Dr. Miriam Adelson, Las Vegas Sand, Controlling Shareholder
- Sergey Brin, Google/Alphabet, Co-Founder
- Gerelyn Gilbert-Soto, Partner of Sergey Brin
- Satya Nadella, Microsoft, Chairman & CEO
- Jim Taiclet, Lockheed Martin, Chairman, President & CEO
- Sundar Pichai, Google, CEO
- Larry Culp, GE Aerospace, CEO
- Sanjay Mehrotra, Micron, CEO
- Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm, CEO
- Jeff Bezos, Amazon, Chairman
- Lauren Sanchez-Bezos, Spouse of Jeff Bezos
- Jeff Yass, TikTok
- Jamie Dimon, JP Morgan, CEO
- Michael Dell, Dell, CEO
- Mary Barra, General Motors, CEO
- David Solomon, Goldman Sachs, CEO
- Jane Fraser, Citi, CEO
- Elon Musk, SpaceX & Tesla, CEO
- Darren Woods, ExxonMobil, CEO
- Chief Justice John Roberts, Chief Supreme Court Justice
- Jane Sullivan Roberts, Chief Supreme Court Justice Spouse
- Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Supreme Court Justice
- Jesse Barrett, Supreme Court Justice Spouse
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Supreme Court Justice
- Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, Spouse of Supreme Court Justice
- Speaker Mike Johnson, United States House of Representatives, Louisiana
- Kelly Johnson, Spouse of Speaker Mike Johnson
- Bret Baier, Fox News, American Journalist and Host
- Amy Baier, Spouse of Brett Baier
- Laura Ingraham, Fox News, American Television Presenter
- Representative Richard McCormick, United States House of Representatives, Georgia
- Jesse Watters, Fox News Host
- Emma Watters, Spouse of Jesse Watters
- David Ellison, Paramount Skydance, CEO
- Susan Dell, Spouse to Michael Dell
- Kevin Warsh, Chairman of the Federal Reserve
- Jane Lauder, Spouse to Kevin Warsh
- Secretary Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce
- Allison Lutnick, Spouse to Secretary Lutnick
- Director John Ratcliffe, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
- Michelle Ratcliffe, Spouse to Director Ratcliffe
- Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy to Middle East
- Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor, Assistant to the President
- Katie Miller, Spouse of Stephen Miller
- Dan Scavino, Deputy Chief of Staff, Assistant to the President
- Erin Scavino, Spouse to Dan Scavino
- Attorney General Todd Blanche, Attorney General of the United States
- Kristine Blanche, Spouse to Attorney General Todd Blanche
- Meredith O'Rourke, The O'Rourke Group
- Secretary Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy
- Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary of Health & Human Services
- Secretary Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education
- Secretary Doug Burgum, Secretary of Interior
- Kathryn Burgum, Spouse to Secretary Burgum
- Secretary Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation
- Rachel Campos-Duffy, Spouse of Sean Duffy
- Director Russell Vought, Director of Office of Management & Budget
- Administrator Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- Acting Secretary Keith Sonderling, Acting Secretary of Labor
- Brad Gerstner, Altimeter, CEO
- Sangeeta Mehrota, Spouse of Sanjay Mehrotra
- Anthony Barra, Spouse of Mary Barra
- Kathy Woods, Spouse of Darren Woods
- Albert Bourla, Pfizer, CEO
- David Sacks, Co-chair, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
- Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Small Business Administrator
- Jeff Sprecher, Spouse of Kelly Loeffler
- Katie Simpson, Fiancé to Brad Gerstner
- Representative Jason Smith, United States House of Representatives, Missouri
- Senator Steven Daines, United States Senator, Montana
- General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Director Jay Clayton, Director of Office of the Director of National Intelligence
- Bernard Arnault, LVMH, CEO
- Alexandre Arnault, Son of Bernard Arnault
- Ryan McInerey, Visa, CEO
- Michael Miebach, Mastercard, CEO
- Sandra Lynn Ellison, Spouse of David Ellison
- Cheryl Hines, Spouse of Secretary Kennedy
What’s on the Menu?
The White House said Thursday’s state dinner for Xi will feature American ingredients with subtle Chinese influences, “bringing the culinary traditions of both nations together.”
The evening will begin with a toast of Schramsberg “Blanc De Noir,” echoing the historic “Toast to Peace” shared by President Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai during their 1972 meeting in Beijing. The American sparkling wine served that night remains a fixture at White House functions today.
The first course is a yellow squash velouté with wild mushroom fricassee, crispy pancetta and scallion oil.
The second course features sesame-crusted sea bass served with braised baby bok choy, roasted garden eggplant and sauce verte, a fresh herb-based sauce.
Dessert is a vanilla crémeux with sour cherry confit and walnut frangipane, served with White House honey ice cream.
The formal dinner will feature several performances, headlined by classically trained tenor Christopher Macchio, who performed at the 2025 presidential inauguration. Military musicians from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army will also perform, including “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band, “The Commandant’s Own” U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the U.S. Army Chorus and the U.S. Army Strings.
The evening’s décor draws on the cultural significance of the color red in Chinese history, with red blossoms arranged in urns and tables set with rich red linens, dahlias and ranunculus. Tables will also feature vermeil from the White House collection and the Reagan State Service. The White House said the décor combines Chinese artistry with American tradition.
When Did Xi Jinping Arrive in the US?
Xi was given a rare tarmac welcome by a U.S. president for a state visit when Donald Trump greeted him at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland at 6 p.m. ET Wednesday.
The Chinese leader was greeted by an honor guard along a long red carpet leading from Xi's aircraft as Trump and first lady Melania Trump stood waiting.
A flyover by two B-1 bombers, military honor units from each branch of the U.S. armed forces, flower presentations, and a flag display of both countries accompanied by both national anthems were part of the ceremony.
After Xi's arrival, the Trump administration announced an extension of the U.S.-China trade truce through January 10, easing the threat of a renewed tariff fight which had strained ties between the world's two biggest economies.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.
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What Did Trump and Xi Discuss?
The leaders were expected to discuss trade, tariffs, rare earth minerals and AI Thursday.
Geopolitical matters was also on the agenda, with the Taipei Times reporting that Beijing is hoping Washington will provide greater clarity on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, which China considers to be a renegade province.
On strategic issues, Beijing and Washington have common interests regarding the Iran war and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On the latter China is officially neutral, although it has strong trade and diplomatic ties with Moscow.
"The meeting is unlikely to produce any breakthroughs or surprises," Ali Wyne, senior research and advocacy adviser for U.S.-China relations, International Crisis Group, told Newsweek.
"Its major objective will be to preserve a tactical thaw between the world's two foremost powers."
During remarks at the state dinner, Trump said the two leaders understood their countries had different political systems but shared enduring ties between their people.
“As the leaders of our two nations, President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems—but the ties between our people endure, and we've never gotten along better,” Trump said.
Xi thanked Trump and the first lady for their hospitality, saying the two countries had reached a “historic juncture” in their relationship.
“Today, President Trump and I had sincere and in-depth exchanges, and reached common understanding on many issues,” Xi said in his remarks. “This has added new substance to the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability and provided new strategic guidance for China-U.S. relations.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick, Tony Phillips and Edward T. Cummins.
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