President Xi Jinping is planning to travel to Washington on Sept. 24 accompanied by a substantial business delegation, two sources told Reuters — an uncommon move for the Chinese leader amid strained relations with private enterprise and heightened U.S. scrutiny of Chinese investment.
Economic signalling at a sensitive moment
The decision to include a large group of corporate figures marks a notable shift in tone from Beijing. Xi has rarely left China with executives in tow since a series of regulatory crackdowns beginning in 2020 targeted technology, education and property sectors, leaving many private-sector leaders politically exposed.
One source familiar with discussions told Reuters the delegation is intended in part to signal China’s willingness to support investment and commercial ties with the United States, and to offer the White House potential economic wins ahead of U.S. midterm elections. Reuters did not identify which executives would travel with the Chinese leader.
“My sense is that the Chinese... are going to be more intentional about the role of these business people”
Context: an uneven, constrained commercial environment
The visit comes after a string of U.S. policies that have significantly curbed Chinese corporate activity and market access. In recent years, Washington has:
- imposed a 100 per cent tariff on imported Chinese electric vehicles;
- banned imports of foreign-made drones, routers and robots in certain contexts;
- forced the divestiture of TikTok’s U.S. operations;
- placed a number of major Chinese technology firms on the U.S. Entity List and on a Pentagon blacklist.
Those measures have constricted investment channels and raised the political cost for Chinese firms operating in the U.S., complicating commercial engagement even as Washington and Beijing seek to stabilise ties.
| U.S. Measure | Example / Effect |
|---|---|
| Tariff | 100% tariff on imported Chinese EVs |
| Import bans | Restrictions on drones, routers and robots |
| Forced divestiture | TikTok’s U.S. operations required to be sold |
| Export/security listings | Major Chinese tech firms placed on the Entity List and Pentagon blacklist |
Historical echoes and contrasts
The move evokes Xi’s 2015 U.S. trip, when he travelled with a sizeable corporate contingent that included Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Tencent founder Pony Ma, along with executives from Chinese banks and state-owned firms. That visit coincided with a major commercial announcement — a US$38 billion order for 300 Boeing aircraft — and meetings with high-profile U.S. technology leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
By contrast, U.S. presidents have more frequently brought large business delegations to China. The report notes President Donald Trump took sizeable groups of American executives on visits in 2017 and again in May of this year, the latter including figures such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Elon Musk.
Implications for business and policy
A prominent Chinese delegation to Washington could serve several purposes: it may be aimed at restoring some commercial momentum, signalling to global markets that Beijing seeks constructive economic engagement, and presenting concrete opportunities for cooperation that Washington could point to domestically.
For Canadian and other international firms, the development is worth watching for any loosening of cross-border investment frictions or new joint initiatives that could reshape supply chains. However, the delegation’s presence alone would not reverse recent structural shifts — such as export controls and tariffs — that have changed the investment calculus between the world’s two largest economies.
Reuters reported the planned delegation on Sept. 4. Details about the identities of the executives expected to accompany Xi were not available at the time of reporting.
