Xi Jinping is leading a large business delegation to the U.S. — Reuters
Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to travel to Washington on September 24 accompanied by a large delegation of Chinese business executives, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters.
According to them, Beijing aims to demonstrate its willingness to maintain trade and investment ties with the U.S. At the same time, the Chinese side may propose a series of economic agreements to Washington ahead of the midterm congressional elections.
For Xi Jinping, this type of trip is unusual—he rarely takes corporate executives with him abroad. Beijing’s relations with the private sector also remain strained following a major crackdown on the technology, education, and construction sectors since 2020.
At the same time, Chinese companies are facing increasingly stringent restrictions in the U.S. Washington has imposed a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, restricted imports of a range of foreign drones, routers, and robots, and sought to change the ownership structure of TikTok’s U.S. division.
In addition, major Chinese technology companies have been added to U.S. lists of entities deemed a threat to national security, including the Pentagon’s list.
Source: Reuters.
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