BlackRock, Blackstone chiefs get seats at Xi’s top table
investmentnews.comBlackRock Inc.’s Larry Fink and Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone Inc. were among the top US executives seated at President Xi Jinping’s table at an exclusive dinner in San Francisco, where the Chinese leader pitched his nation as a positive force for world peace.
Prominent business chiefs at the top table Wednesday evening were joined by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, at an event held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit.
Other big names granted a place beside China’s most-powerful leader since Mao Zedong at the event included Apple Inc.’s Tim Cook, Bridgewater Associates’ Ray Dalio, and Peng Zhao of Citadel Securities, according to a program seen by Bloomberg News.
“China does not seek spheres of influence, and will not fight a cold war or a hot war with anyone,” the Chinese leader told the audience. The Communist Party’s military aggression toward Taiwan — a self-ruled democracy Beijing claims as its territory — in recent years has prompted fears that China will invade the island, which is a major source of the world’s most cutting-edge chips.
Xi’s bodyguards were seated near his table to prevent attendees, who were served a menu of seasonal vegetables in a champagne vinaigrette, black Angus flat iron steak and vanilla custard tart, from approaching him. Security has been tight for the Chinese leader’s stay in California, with the
While Xi didn’t mention Taiwan in his speech, his dovish tone could reassure some of the world’s most-powerful foreign investors that a conflict isn’t on the horizon. The Chinese leader also didn’t directly address challenges facing the world second-largest economy this year, after the nation’s
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