Marketplace · Friday, September 25, 2026
During Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington, a notable absence of Chinese tech executives from a state dinner, despite the attendance of prominent American business leaders, has been highlighted. This lack of participation from Chinese companies signals the current strain in US-China relations, where business ties, once considered the 'ballast,' are now significantly diminished.
“Yeah, I thought that was really remarkable. Um, to have a state visit with, um, a lot of prominent American business people, you know, tech people certainly were seated at the head table, but also, you know, other companies like Pfizer or GE Aerospace. But no Chinese companies at all.”
“And, you know, in the past, um, when the US has welcomed leaders from other countries, they do, you know, typically bring their business people with them.”
“The countries used to refer to business as kind of the ballast of the relationship. And that's just very, um, thin at this point.”