dexinwin WASHINGTON, September 25, 2026— Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple executive chairman Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other prominent technology and business leaders gathered at the White House on Thursday evening for a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan.
The dinner, held in the White House East Room on September 24, brought together senior U.S. government officials, Chinese representatives and more than 100 guests from the technology, finance, manufacturing and business communities.
Technology Titans Gather at the White House
The guest list featured some of the most recognizable names in the global technology industry.
Among those attending were Musk, Huang, Cook, Altman, Zuckerberg, Google's Sundar Pichai, AMD CEO Lisa Su, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell. Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos was also among the invited guests.
The gathering brought together executives whose companies operate across artificial intelligence, semiconductors, electric vehicles, cloud computing, social media, consumer electronics and other major technology sectors.
Reuters reported that Musk, Huang and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault were among the notable guests on the White House's official invitation list.
Musk and Huang Draw Particular Attention
Musk and Huang were among the most closely watched figures at the dinner.
Musk leads Tesla and SpaceX and has also become a major figure in artificial intelligence through his broader technology interests. Tesla has significant manufacturing and commercial operations in China, making the company's relationship with the Chinese market an important part of its global business strategy.
Huang, meanwhile, heads Nvidia, whose processors have become central to the development of generative artificial intelligence and advanced computing.
Nvidia's business has been directly affected by U.S. export-control policies governing advanced semiconductor technology. As a result, Huang's presence at a dinner involving the Chinese president carried particular significance for technology and semiconductor observers.
Artificial Intelligence Takes Center Stage
The composition of the guest list reflected the growing importance of artificial intelligence in the relationship between Washington and Beijing.
Executives from Nvidia, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, AMD and other technology companies were represented at the dinner. These companies are involved in different parts of the rapidly expanding AI ecosystem, from semiconductor hardware and cloud infrastructure to foundation models and consumer applications.
AI has also become an important area of discussion between the United States and China, alongside trade, technology restrictions, critical minerals and supply chains.
For major technology companies, government policy in these areas can directly affect access to markets, semiconductor supplies, research cooperation and global investment.
Business Leaders With Strong China Connections
The guest list extended well beyond the technology sector.
Financial executives including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, BlackRock chairman and CEO Larry Fink and Blackstone chairman Stephen Schwarzman were also invited.
Executives from major industrial companies were represented as well, including General Motors CEO Mary Barra, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon and ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods.
Their presence highlighted the broad economic dimensions of the China-U.S. relationship.
For American corporations, China remains relevant as a major consumer market, manufacturing base, supply-chain partner and source of investment opportunities, although companies in different sectors face different regulatory and geopolitical challenges.
A Dinner Held During High-Level China-U.S. Talks
The state dinner took place during Xi's three-day state visit to the United States.
Xi arrived in Washington on September 23 at Trump's invitation. Trump and Melania Trump personally welcomed Xi and Peng Liyuan at Joint Base Andrews before the official state events at the White House the following day.
On September 24, Trump and Melania hosted a formal arrival ceremony for Xi and Peng, followed by meetings between the two presidents.
The state dinner was held later that evening in the East Room.
The White House said the dinner was prepared with American ingredients and subtle Chinese influences. The meal began with Schramsberg Blanc de Noir, recalling the sparkling wine served during the 1972 "Toast to Peace" involving U.S. President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.
A Room Filled With Technology and Finance Leaders
The presence of so many technology executives gave the diplomatic dinner a distinctly business-oriented dimension.
Alongside Musk and Huang were figures representing some of the world's most influential companies and technology platforms.
Cook represented Apple, whose global supply chain and consumer market have long been closely connected with China.
Altman represented OpenAI as artificial intelligence continues to reshape the technology industry.
Pichai represented Google, while Zuckerberg represented Meta. Su represented AMD, another major semiconductor company competing in the AI-computing market.
The combination of these executives meant that discussions surrounding the dinner extended beyond traditional diplomacy and into areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, manufacturing, investment and global trade.
From Diplomatic Ceremony to Economic Reality
A White House state dinner is primarily a diplomatic event, and attendance by corporate executives does not by itself indicate that any particular company has reached an agreement with the Chinese or U.S. governments.
Nevertheless, the guest list offered a snapshot of the industries most closely connected to the broader China-U.S. economic relationship.
Technology companies face questions involving export controls, AI development, semiconductor supply chains and access to international markets. Manufacturers and financial institutions face their own concerns involving tariffs, investment rules and economic policy.
The participation of executives from so many sectors therefore provided a visible reminder of how closely the two economies remain connected despite disagreements in a number of areas.
A High-Profile Gathering in Washington
As Xi and Trump continued their high-level engagement in Washington, the White House dinner brought together political leaders and some of the most influential figures in the global technology and business communities.
The sight of Musk, Huang, Cook, Altman, Zuckerberg, Pichai, Su, Bezos and other executives attending the same event attracted significant attention from international media.
For the technology industry, the dinner also offered a rare setting in which leaders from companies at the center of the global AI and semiconductor industries were present during a major round of China-U.S. diplomacy.
The longer-term significance of the gathering will depend not on the guest list alone, but on whether subsequent government discussions lead to concrete developments in trade, technology, investment and other areas of the bilateral relationship.
For one evening, however, the White House East Room brought together the political and corporate figures at the center of some of the most consequential economic and technological issues facing the two countries.
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