In the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China’s leader, Xi Jinping hosted President Trump on Thursday for an elaborate state banquet under giant chandeliers, surrounded by top U.S. and Chinese officials and the chief executives of major American companies.
Among those attending were some of Mr. Trump’s most influential cabinet members: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Mr. Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller. The men have all been critical of China on a variety of economic and military issues.
The American delegation also included Tim Cook of Apple, and Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX. Jensen Huang, the chief executive of Nvidia, was also present, after a last-minute invitation from the president.
The president’s son, Eric Trump, and his wife, Lara Trump, also attended the banquet.
The Chinese guests included several of Mr. Xi’s longtime loyalists and advisers who had accompanied him to the talks, according to an official summary of Mr. Xi’s remarks carried by state media.
Among them were Cai Qi, the director of the office that manages the Communist Party leadership’s affairs, and He Lifeng, a vice premier overseeing economic policy. They were accompanied by Li Qiang, China’s second-highest-ranking official, and Wang Yi, the country’s top diplomat.
The dinner guests also included Chinese officials whom Mr. Xi is likely to rely on for their technical competence and experience, like Wang Wentao, the minister of commerce, who sat next to Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative.
