General Motors CEO Mary Barra is reportedly expected to attend President Trump’s state dinner at the White House on Thursday for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Barra will join a number of tech and industry leaders at the dinner, including executives from Meta, Apple, Amazon, and Tesla; however, the GM CEO will not be accompanied by Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, who is currently abroad.
Ford declined to comment on whether CEO Jim Farley would attend the dinner as the automaker continues to face criticism from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy regarding its business partnerships with Chinese companies.
The meeting comes as the US government has set up numerous trade barriers and policies to keep Chinese automakers out. This month, Trump said he is willing to let these global auto giants into the country if they employ US workers at their plants.
“If China wanted to come in and open a plant to build their cars here, I’d be okay with that,” Trump said in an interview.
Despite the President’s comments, industry experts suggest that major automakers, suppliers, and dealers urged Trump to keep Chinese automakers out of the market.
Read CEO North America Magazine’s exclusive interview with Mary Barra
By CEO NA Editorial Staff
