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Here Are The American Elites Rubbing Shoulders With China’s Dictator At Ritzy Gala

Screenshot/ YouTube/ Bloomberg Television

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Jason Cohen Contributor
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Numerous American elite business executives attended a lavish dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, according to the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

CEOs of companies such as Apple, Blackstone and BlackRock attended the dinner in San Francisco, which cost $40,000 per ticket to sit with Xi,  according to the committee. The U.S. government characterizes China’s oppression of Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group, as a “genocide” and President Joe Biden called Xi a “dictator” on Wednesday. (RELATED: Biden’s Commerce Secretary Doesn’t Even Plan To Bring Up CCP-Linked TikTok On China Trip: REPORT)

The dinner took place after Biden’s meeting with Xi, and it was hosted by the U.S.-China Business Council and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, according to CNBC. Tesla CEO Elon Musk attended a VIP reception, but not the dinner, attendees told CNBC.

Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, Boeing Executive Vice President Stanley Deal, Amway CEO Milind Pant and Honeywell Executive Chairman Darius Adamczyk also attended the dinner, according to the guest list posted by the committee.

“All of you here this evening remain keenly interested to do business in China, and to find ways to advance our bilateral economic relationship,” Commerce Department Secretary Gina Raimondo stated before the meal, according to CNBC. “I know that, because half of you have come to see me to tell me that.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook sat next to Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, according to place cards, CNBC reported. Cook also met with Wentao in Beijing in October, talking about his company’s development in China and the relationship between the two countries, according to Reuters.

In addition to Cook, Musk and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman also recently traveled to China, meeting with CCP officials.

“The number one question for us is, are we adversaries or partners?” Xi asked during his keynote address, according to CNBC.

“If one sees the other side as a primary competitor, the most consequential geopolitical challenge, and a pacing threat, it will only lead to misinformed policymaking, misguided actions and unwanted results,” Xi added.

Apple allegedly canceled comedian Jon Stewart’s show due to concerns over his potential coverage of topics related to China and artificial intelligence (AI) in October.

Apple, Blackstone, BlackRock, Boeing, Amway, Honeywell and Tesla did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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