Major company leaders in the U.S. fulfill Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco, California on Nov. 15, 2023.
Eamon Javers, CNBC Correspondent
Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner, Tesla main Elon Musk and Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman ended up amongst the company Wednesday night at a gala reception and meal in San Francisco for visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Hosted by the U.S.-China Company Council and the Countrywide Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the meal followed Xi’s daylong summit with President Joe Biden, which Biden identified as “some of the most constructive and successful discussions we’ve had.”
The dinner with Xi was a warm ticket for CEOs of America’s most notable corporations, a opportunity to rub elbows with significant-position government ministers of a nation that did nearly $760 billion worthy of of trade with the United States previous yr.
On the visitor list: Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Boeing CEO Stan Offer, FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam, Visa chief Ryan McInerney, Bridgewater Associates’ Ray Dalio, Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla, Mastercard chair Advantage Janow, and BlackRock‘s Larry Fink.
The Biden administration was represented by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, and Kurt Campbell, a top rated White House China advisor. San Francisco Mayor London Breed also experienced a spot at the head desk.
In accordance to the area playing cards, Cook dinner was seated next to Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao. Party organizers claimed Musk attended the VIP reception, but did not keep for the meal.
The variety 1 dilemma for us is, are we adversaries or associates?
Xi Jinping
President of China
In remarks just before the meal, Raimondo emphasized how a lot opportunity stays in the U.S.-China economic relationship.
“All of you right here this evening keep on being keenly interested to do small business in China, and to come across means to progress our bilateral financial relationship,” Raimondo stated. “I know that, since half of you have appear to see me to explain to me that.”
Associates or adversaries?
Xi delivered the keynote address, his most expansive remarks so far in his U.S. check out. He utilised the speech to current a see of the U.S.-China partnership that differs appreciably from Biden’s.
“The number one particular question for us is, are we adversaries or companions?” Xi requested.
“If 1 sees the other side as a main competitor, the most consequential geopolitical obstacle, and a pacing danger, it will only guide to misinformed policymaking, misguided steps and unwelcome final results,” stated Xi.
It was not missing on the place that Biden has described China in every single of all those terms in the earlier.
As a substitute of adversaries, Xi emphasised that China wishes a partnership with the United States, a “win-win” marriage.
As part of his all round outreach information, Xi announced that China will be sending pandas to the San Diego Zoo, just after a few of the bears were being just lately returned to China from Washington’s Smithsonian Nationwide Zoo.
“Pandas have lengthy been envoys of friendship amongst the Chinese and American individuals,” he mentioned.
“We are completely ready to keep on our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation and do our best to satisfy the needs of the Californians, so as to deepen pleasant ties among our two peoples.”
Correction: Steve Schwarzman is with Blackstone. A former variation of this tale misstated his corporation.