The White House has released the menu for the state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump for Chinese President Xi Jinping. The three-course meal will be served at a glitzy event with a star-studded guest list of tech and business leaders alongside political heavyweights.
It is Xi's first visit to the US capital in more than a decade, following Trump's state visit to Beijing in May. At the top of the agenda are trade relations and the creation of an AI dialogue to discuss risks posed by the technology.
Guest List Includes Tech and Business Leaders
Tonight's official state dinner will see Trump and Xi joined by their wives along with a host of Big Tech and Wall Street executives. On the guest list are Tesla boss Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, Jane Fraser from Citigroup and Apple’s former chief Tim Cook.
First Lady Melania Trump, who oversaw preparations for the dinner, has included a nod to the guests’ homeland. Chinese flavours include a drizzle of scallion oil with the soup course and the sesame-seed crust on the Sea Bass main course.
Full Menu for Trump and Xi's Dinner
First Course
- Yellow Squash Velouté
- Wild Mushroom Fricassée
- Crispy Pancetta
- Scallion Oil
Second Course
- Sesame Crusted Sea Bass
- Braised Baby Bok Choy
- Roasted Garden Aubergine
- Sauce Verte
Dessert
- Vanilla Crémeux & White House Honey Ice Cream
- Walnut Frangipane
- Sour Cherry Confit
Tensions Flare as Trump Meets Xi
While the diplomacy between the two leaders appears to have been smooth, things have been a little more turbulent behind the scenes during today's state visit. Tempers appeared to flare between US officials and the visiting media with US special service officials seen pushing and shoving Chinese photographers moments before Donald Trump welcomed Xi Jinping to the White House.
Temperatures rose amid journalists jostling for position by the White House lawn, with a clip showing how US officials had to push Chinese media behind a barrier.
