Trump set to host tech CEOs at state dinner for Xi Jinping: What to know

President Donald Trump is set to host a group of technology executives at a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24.

The gathering will primarily bring together senior business leaders during an international summit. The dinner next week is conducted for Xi Jinping during his Washington visit , inviting US top leaders like Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.

The guest list underlines US-China tensions over AI, trade and technology positioning these executives at the heart of key talks.

A White House official said in a statement Wednesday: “ Trump has invited several great American business leaders to his dinner with Xi because he will always prioritize making good deals for the country.”

The dinner comes as Altman and OpenAI face intense pressure over the pace of AI development. OpenAI also told employees that the company was receptive to moderating the pace of next-generation development of AI and that it hoped that other labs would also follow.

According to CNBC, this position has also drawn Altman closer to Anthropic’s CEO who has openly advocated for decelerating frontier AI advancement. State dinners are among the highest diplomatic honors a US president can confer on a foreign leader and are commonly reserved for heads of allied nations.