Xi's US Visit Draws American CEOs, Not Chinese Executives

When Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived for high-level meetings in the United States, a striking asymmetry emerged on the sidelines: a parade of American chief executives sought audiences with the Chinese leader, while their Chinese counterparts were conspicuously absent from the gathering.

The contrast underscores how profoundly the business relationship between the world's two largest economies has been reshaped in recent years. Once defined by mutual eagerness for access and partnership, the dynamic has shifted toward caution, decoupling pressures, and geopolitical friction that has made public cross-border commercial engagement more complicated — particularly for Chinese executives operating under close government scrutiny at home.

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For American corporate leaders, the calculus remains different. Access to China's vast consumer market, manufacturing networks, and supply chains continues to draw executives who see diplomacy as inseparable from commerce. Appearing alongside Xi signals to investors and partners that lines of communication remain open, even as bilateral tensions persist over trade, technology, and security.

The absence of Chinese business figures, by contrast, reflects the tighter grip Beijing maintains over its private sector and the reluctance — or inability — of Chinese executives to engage in the kind of high-profile international business diplomacy that was once more common. It also speaks to how Chinese companies have pulled back from visible engagement with Western counterparts amid domestic political pressures.

The tableau offers a revealing snapshot of where the relationship stands: American business still courts China, but the courtship has become increasingly one-sided and fraught. Continue reading at NYT > Business.