Corporate Interests and Bureaucratic Delays Cloud US-China Summit Amidst Power Imbalances
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As President Trump and President Xi prepare to meet, unresolved logistical issues and corporate lobbying highlight the summit’s focus on elite interests, while both governments downplay concerns from workers and marginalized communities.
Washington – The upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled for next week, is mired in unresolved logistical issues that expose the priorities of political and corporate elites over the needs of ordinary people. Inter-agency talks on briefing documents and talking points for the president remain incomplete, while squabbles over the number of seats for the Chinese delegation at the state dinner delay decisions about which tech executives—representing powerful corporate interests—will accompany Xi.
Sources, including ten current and former U.S. officials and three individuals involved in the planning, spoke on background, reflecting the lack of transparency that often characterizes high-level diplomacy. The White House refused to comment, further shielding the process from public scrutiny. Randall Shriver, a former assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security, noted that the Chinese are “very enthusiastic” about the summit, viewing it as a means to manage relations with the U.S.—but little is said about how these talks will impact working people or address global inequalities.
Chinese officials, including senior foreign-ministry representatives, have raised concerns about last-minute agenda and protocol decisions, focusing on ceremonial details such as seating and stage positioning. Historian Julian Gewirtz observed that Beijing seeks certainty on these aspects, highlighting how much energy is spent on pageantry while substantive issues affecting millions are sidelined.
U.S. planners admit that preparations lag behind previous state visits, blaming competing agency priorities. The administration insists on “perfect reciprocity,” ensuring Xi receives the same treatment Trump got in Beijing, but this tit-for-tat approach does little to address pressing issues like labor rights, climate change, or human rights abuses. An early proposal for Xi to speak at a Washington university was dropped because Trump had not been invited to speak at a Chinese university—another example of elite posturing taking precedence over meaningful public engagement.
Business participation remains a point of contention. The White House has invited Chinese entrepreneurs and executives, but Beijing has not finalized its list, citing unresolved seating and unclear opportunities for business leaders. The state dinner is expected to host about 100 guests, with the Chinese side demanding more than half the seats for CEOs—demonstrating the summit’s orientation toward corporate power rather than the public good.
Other agenda items include the looming expiration of a moratorium on Chinese export controls for rare-earth minerals and a one-year extension of U.S. controls on advanced semiconductor chips. Both sides accuse each other of not honoring previous agreements, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Bessant has threatened retaliation if restrictions continue. These disputes underscore the summit’s focus on maintaining the dominance of multinational corporations and military-industrial interests, rather than fostering global cooperation or addressing economic injustice.
Negotiations over China’s pledged purchase of additional Boeing aircraft have stalled, with the U.S. reluctant to supply spare parts for both Boeing and China’s C919 jet. Recent FCC restrictions on Chinese tech imports have been cited by Beijing as destabilizing, while U.S. officials frame them as industrial policy—again, prioritizing nationalistic competition over international solidarity.
Despite these challenges, Chinese diplomats express optimism that the summit will reinforce a “constructive relationship,” hoping it will lead to Trump’s participation in the APEC meeting in Shenzhen. Yet, the voices of workers, environmental advocates, and marginalized communities remain absent from the conversation.
"I think that's one of the reasons why they want to sustain diplomacy with Trump is they're pretty happy with the direction things are going," said Jacob Stokes, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
"The two sides have recently followed the direction set by the two heads of state, taken practical steps to strengthen communication and dialogue, advanced a positive agenda and achieved notable results," said Liu Haixing, a senior Communist Party official.