Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner attends the “Senior Chinese language Chief Occasion” held by the Nationwide Committee on US-China Relations and the US-China Enterprise Council on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week in San Francisco, California, on November 15, 2023.
Carlos Barria | AFP | Getty Photographs
Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner, Tesla chief Elon Musk and Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman had been among the many friends Wednesday night time at a gala reception and dinner in San Francisco for visiting Chinese language President Xi Jinping.
Hosted by the U.S.-China Enterprise Council and the Nationwide Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the dinner adopted Xi’s daylong summit with President Joe Biden, which Biden referred to as “a few of the most constructive and productive discussions we have had.”
The dinner with Xi was a scorching ticket for CEOs of America’s most distinguished firms, an opportunity to rub elbows with high-ranking authorities ministers of a rustic that did practically $760 billion value of commerce with america final yr.
On the visitor record: Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Boeing CEO Stan Deal, 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 prime White Home China advisor. San Francisco Mayor London Breed additionally had a spot on the head desk.
In line with the place playing cards, Cook dinner was seated subsequent to Chinese language Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao. Occasion organizers mentioned Musk attended the VIP reception, however didn’t keep for the dinner.
The primary query for us is, are we adversaries or companions?
Xi Jinping
President of China
In remarks earlier than the meal, Raimondo emphasised how a lot alternative stays within the U.S.-China financial relationship.
“All of you right here this night stay keenly to do enterprise in China, and to seek out methods to advance our bilateral financial relationship,” Raimondo mentioned. “I do know that, as a result of half of you will have come to see me to inform me that.”
Companions or adversaries?
Xi delivered the keynote handle, his most expansive remarks up to now in his U.S. go to. He used the speech to current a view of the U.S.-China relationship that differs considerably from Biden’s.
China’s President Xi Jinping speaks on the “Senior Chinese language Chief Occasion” held by the Nationwide Committee on US-China Relations and the US-China Enterprise Council on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week in San Francisco, California, on November 15, 2023.
Carlos Barria | AFP | Getty Photographs
“The primary query for us is, are we adversaries or companions?” Xi requested.
“If one sees the opposite facet as a main competitor, essentially the most consequential geopolitical problem, and a pacing risk, it should solely result in misinformed policymaking, misguided actions and undesirable outcomes,” mentioned Xi.
It was not misplaced on the room that Biden has described China in every of these phrases up to now.
As a substitute of adversaries, Xi emphasised that China needs a partnership with america, a “win-win” relationship.
As a part of his general outreach message, Xi introduced that China might be sending pandas to the San Diego Zoo, after three of the bears had been not too long ago returned to China from Washington’s Smithsonian Nationwide Zoo.
“Pandas have lengthy been envoys of friendship between the Chinese language and American folks,” he mentioned.
“We’re able to proceed our cooperation with america on panda conservation and do our greatest to fulfill the needs of the Californians, in order to deepen pleasant ties between our two peoples.”
Correction: Steve Schwarzman is with Blackstone. A earlier model of this story misstated his firm.