Chinese officials are deciding whether BYD should join a possible business group traveling with Xi Jinping to Washington next week for his meeting with President Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the planning. Senior aides - with Xi's chief of staff Cai Qi among them - are screening a roster of industry heavyweights for the Sept. 24 state visit, and the lineup could still shift just before the trip, according to the people.
Adding BYD founder Wang Chuanfu would send a punchy message given today's EV tensions. Wu Xinbo, who leads Fudan University's Center for American Studies and previously advised China's Foreign Ministry, said BYD would be a logical inclusion, noting, "China would love to invest in the EV sector in the US, if they permit it."
People familiar with the criteria say Beijing is giving priority to firms that have a potential U.S. deal underway, demonstrate loyalty to the Communist Party, and will not pull attention away from Xi. Several of the Chinese industry figures being considered remain pending U.S. visas, according to a report in the South China Morning Post last week. BYD, China's Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Beijing did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. State Department did not answer an email sent outside business hours.
Washington's 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles has effectively closed off the American market. And in June, the Pentagon blacklisted BYD over alleged connections to the People's Liberation Army. The company firmly denies that it supports China's military.
Even so, Chinese automakers are expanding quickly overseas, winning share in developed markets like Europe and edging closer to the U.S. Canada has recently started allowing some Chinese EVs, and BYD models are now a common sight in Mexico. BYD also runs an electric bus manufacturing plant in California.
The stage-setting has begun. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet his Chinese counterpart, He Lifeng, in New York before the summit between Trump and Xi, according to Bloomberg.
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Trump tends to surround himself with marquee names. During his May trip to Beijing, he was accompanied by top executives such as Elon Musk, Tim Cook and Jensen Huang. Bloomberg also reported that Nvidia's chief is expected at next week's state dinner hosted by Trump for Xi.
China typically brings its own business stars too. During Xi's 2015 state visit to the U.S., his entourage included top Chinese CEOs such as Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma and Tencent's Pony Ma, along with leaders of state-owned enterprises and banks.
Any pathway that lets Chinese carmakers crack the U.S. would be a major shift, given the current roadblocks. U.S. automakers argue their Chinese rivals benefit from subsidies that enable artificially low prices and tilt competition.
There are hints of potential routes. In February, Ford CEO Jim Farley discussed a framework with the White House in which Chinese automakers could produce vehicles in the U.S. through joint ventures with American partners, though that idea has faced sharp resistance. Trump recently told Fox News, "We don't allow his cars into the United States, and we never did," adding, "Now, if China wanted to come in, and open a plant to build their cars here, I'd be okay with it."
Politics are already humming. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a senator from Michigan, the American auto hub, posted on X earlier this month that Xi's visit is a "moment of inflection." "We hear rumors that Trump is planning to allow Chinese cars to be sold in the US, as part of a larger deal he's putting together," she wrote. "That would be a strategic mistake - and one that will irrevocably impact not just the 1.2 million Michigan jobs directly or indirectly tied to the auto industry, but the overall manufacturing capacity of the United States."
For your money, the tells to track are any movement on tariffs, talk of joint ventures, and whether factory approvals enter the discussion. Small policy shifts can redirect where investment and jobs land in the next chapter of the EV race.
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