Reuters reported that three sources familiar with the planning of Xi’s upcoming visit said final invitations will be sent in the coming days to a group of Chinese business leaders, potentially including the heads of electric‑vehicle maker BYD, smartphone and EV entrant Xiaomi, battery giant CATL, battery maker Gotion, consumer‑electronics firm Hisense, automotive parts supplier Wanxiang Group, state‑owned Bank of China and agribusiness COFCO.
The State Department is expected to approve visas for the delegation, according to one of the sources, indicating that the visit will have an official diplomatic component as well as a commercial one.
U.S. lawmakers are simultaneously advancing the Connected Vehicle Security Act, a bipartisan measure that would make it far more difficult for Chinese‑owned companies or vehicles built in China to be sold in the United States on the grounds of national‑security risk and supply‑chain vulnerability.
The legislation, backed by a coalition of former military officials and industry leaders under the SAFE lobbying group, argues that modern vehicles are increasingly software‑defined and that Chinese firms are subject to domestic laws requiring cooperation with intelligence authorities, raising concerns about data access by the Chinese Communist Party.
President Donald Trump has publicly expressed openness to Chinese automakers establishing factories on U.S. soil, a stance that puts him at odds with many members of his own party and with the emerging legislative push to restrict Chinese automotive imports.
Industry voices such as Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz have warned that without trade barriers, Chinese cars—priced 30‑40 percent lower in some overseas markets—could quickly dominate U.S. sales, echoing similar concerns that led the European Union to impose tariffs on Chinese EVs.
If the delegation proceeds, it could serve as a platform for dialogue on market access, security safeguards and potential joint‑venture arrangements, but it also risks intensifying the debate in Washington over how to balance economic engagement with strategic protection of the domestic automotive and defense supply chains.