A state dinner at the White House on Thursday evening, honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, was punctuated by persistent protests. Demonstrators gathered across the Northern portico in Lafayette Park, directing their chants toward the Chinese leader, which were at times loud enough to be heard over the formal event.
Among the refrains shouted by the protesters were calls such as, "Free Hong Kong," "Xi Jinping you’re not welcome," and "freedom for political prisoners." These voices were distinctly audible before the Marine Corps band commenced its performance and continued, though somewhat less prominently, throughout the musical presentation.
Human Rights Concerns Drive Demonstrations
Various groups, including those advocating for Tibetan, Uyghur, Hong Kong democracy, Chinese pro-democracy, and Falun Gong causes, convened in Washington this week to highlight alleged human rights abuses by the Chinese government. The demonstrations on Thursday underscored these widespread concerns.
Adding a distinctive element to the protest, some individuals dressed as Winnie the Pooh. This costume choice referenced an online meme that likens President Xi Jinping to the cartoon character, a comparison President Donald Trump has previously used, referring to the Chinese leader as "Pooh Bear."
Many participants in the demonstrations specifically advocated for the release of political prisoners. Notably, House Speaker Mike Johnson has also publicly called for the freedom of Dr. Gulshan Abbas.
Dr. Abbas, a retired Uyghur physician, vanished from her residence in China on September 10, 2018. Chinese officials subsequently sentenced her to a 20-year prison term on charges related to terrorism, allegations her family vehemently asserts are fabricated.
Dinner Guests and Diplomatic Agenda
The exclusive dinner hosted 134 guests, including the two heads of state and numerous prominent figures from the technology sector. Among the notable attendees were Jensen Huang of NVIDIA, Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Lisa Su of AMD, Tim Cook of Apple, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Sundar Pichai of Google, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.
Entertainment for the evening was provided by acclaimed American tenor Christopher Macchio, who recently performed at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, alongside military musicians from the Army and the Marine Corps.
During their visit, the two leaders were expected to engage in discussions covering a range of critical topics. These included artificial intelligence, intellectual property theft, trade practices, and the supply of rare-earth minerals.
Following the conclusion of the dinner, both presidents were scheduled to retire for the evening in preparation for their joint visit to the National Archives on Friday.