Who are the 'new faces' accompanying President Xi on his U.S. visit—and what makes them so special?

Today (September 22), President Xi Jinping will depart for the United States to undertake a state visit, and the 15 entrepreneurs accompanying him have drawn considerable attention. A closer look at the list reveals that most of these enterprises are household names—such as BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), Lenovo, and the Bank of China—yet several 'new faces' stand out, including ENN Energy and Yuhuang Chemical. Why were they selected to accompany President Xi on this trip? President Xi Jinping begins his state visit to the United States today (the 22nd) and will also attend a series of summits marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. The Paulson Institute has announced that a Sino-U.S. Entrepreneurs Summit will be held in Seattle on September 23, attended by 15 U.S. CEOs and 15 Chinese CEOs. President Xi will attend the summit and deliver a policy speech. So why were these particular individuals chosen to accompany President Xi on his U.S. visit? Below is the list of participating Chinese and American entrepreneurs: Media commentary notes that the U.S. side has fielded an exceptionally strong delegation—featuring many corporate giants with deep historical ties to China and broad public recognition among Chinese citizens. Comparing the two lists, many people may actually be more familiar with the American companies. The 15 Chinese entrepreneurs, however, are likewise prominent figures domestically. It is estimated that the combined market value of their 15 enterprises amounts to approximately $1.2 trillion—equivalent to one-eighth of China’s GDP in 2014. In terms of industry sectors represented, these enterprises span internet services (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent), finance (ICBC, Bank of China), automotive (Wanxiang), energy (ENN Energy), food (Shuanghui, Yili), construction (China State Construction Engineering Corporation), chemicals (Yuhuang Chemical), and manufacturing (Tianjin Pipe Corporation). These sectors are critically important to China’s current development, and each enterprise ranks among the top performers in its respective industry. Moreover, all possess extensive overseas investment experience; through this summit, they stand to engage in substantive discussions—and potentially forge cooperation—with U.S. counterparts operating in related fields. A closer examination of the list confirms that most enterprises are widely known—such as BAT, Lenovo, and the Bank of China—but several 'new faces' appear, notably ENN Energy and Yuhuang Chemical. Why were they selected to accompany President Xi? Below is a brief summary compiled by the Economic Daily’s editorial team: ENN Energy: A private energy firm seizing a valuable opportunity for dialogue Wang Yushuo The sole representative from the energy sector is Wang Yushuo of ENN Energy—no executives from major state-owned energy enterprises appear on the list. Why is that? ENN Energy has successfully invested in and operates 117 urban gas infrastructure projects across 15 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government in China, and holds Vietnam’s national urban gas operating license. It supplies various clean energy products and services to over 6.27 million residential users and 24,000 commercial and industrial customers; has laid over 18,000 kilometers of pipelines; achieves a maximum daily natural gas supply capacity exceeding 30 million cubic meters; serves over 55.52 million urban residents nationwide; and operates 330 natural gas vehicle refueling stations across 71 cities. Additionally, it provides integrated energy solutions—including energy system outsourcing and combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems—in more than 20 major and medium-sized cities. Available information indicates that ENN, known for its continuous innovation in business philosophy, has maintained frequent exchanges with both U.S. political and business circles in recent years.

Domestic news highlights from September 17, 2026

1. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index released on September 16, Zhang Yiming—the founder of ByteDance—has surpassed Indian billionaire Gautam Adani (with a net worth of $104.8 billion) with a personal fortune of $105 billion, becoming Asia’s richest person for the first time and ranking 18th globally. His wealth has grown nearly sevenfold since Bloomberg began tracking it in 2019, when it stood at $13 billion. 2. BYD held an investor engagement event at the Shaoxing Circuit, where Secretary of the Board Li Qian stated that semiconductors constitute a core capability for BYD. Its chip portfolio covers 13 categories and 567 automotive-grade chips; this year, the company is expanding into logic chips and possesses full-chain capabilities spanning chip design, wafer fabrication, packaging, and testing. 3. On September 16, the outcome of the Nanjing Museum’s donated artifacts incident was announced: former director Xu Huping received a three-year prison sentence, and multiple other responsible individuals have been dealt with in accordance with regulations, discipline, and law. 4. On September 16, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation issued a statement clarifying that Huatian Space Special (Fujian) Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. is an unauthorized entity impersonating a state-owned enterprise, and bears no affiliation or equity relationship with CAST or any of its subsidiaries. 5. The flag bearers for the Chinese sports delegation at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Asian Games have been confirmed: men’s basketball player Hu Mingxuan and a women’s boxing athlete. 6. The Ministry of Transport, jointly with multiple departments, issued the ‘Action Plan for Innovation in Typical Application Scenarios of “AI + Transportation”’, releasing guidance for the first batch of 41 key typical scenarios across ten directions—including intelligent driving, smart highways, and intelligent railways. 7. On September 16, the National Healthcare Security Administration issued a work plan stipulating that China will formulate, for the first time, a nationally unified medical insurance service item directory, initially covering 13 categories including cardiovascular and respiratory care. 8. On September 16, fishing resumed across China’s four major sea areas following the conclusion of the summer fishing moratorium, with fishing vessels returning to sea and aquatic product supply increasing. 9. The ‘15th Five-Year Plan for Cultural and Tourism Development’ has been issued, comprehensively deploying key tasks across eight areas—including fostering artistic creation and production, and strengthening the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage. 10. The State Administration for Market Regulation published a list of merger and acquisition cases, approving CATL’s acquisition of Geely Chongqing’s battery project—accelerating consolidation within the power battery industry. 11. On the evening of September 16, Leapmotor unveiled its CTC 3.0 high-voltage/low-voltage integrated battery and MM-i multimode hybrid electric drive system at a technology launch event. The MM-i drive weighs 106 kg, delivers a peak power output of 206 kW, and achieves a power generation efficiency of 94.4%, completing Leapmotor’s full-powertrain strategy covering pure electric, extended-range, and plug-in hybrid configurations. 12. Data from the China Electricity Council show that, year-to-date, electricity consumption by China’s internet data services has exceeded 60 billion kWh—an increase of over 40% year-on-year—while the national average daily token usage volume has surged by a factor of one thousand. 13. Maimai Gaopin released the report ‘Agents Reshaping the Workplace: AI Talent Mobility Report’, revealing that from January to July 2026, newly posted AI-related job openings in China’s new economy sectors rose 789.47% year-on-year, and 34.09% of professionals reported that their employers have already implemented management measures targeting employees’ AI competencies. 14. Industry data indicate that global shipments of household cleaning robots reached approximately 11.205 million units in Q2, up 21.5% year-on-year—signaling continued expansion of the cleaning robot market.

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