Top Republican tears into US business groups hosting a $40,000-a-head dinner with China’s Xi Jinping: Mike Gallagher asks if diners have a ‘conscience’ while sitting alongside communist leader

A top Republican lawmaker on Wednesday criticized two U.S. nonprofits for selling $40,000 worth of tickets, giving executives the chance to sit with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a dinner in California.

Xi arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and was scheduled to meet President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Two business groups promoting ties with China said they will host a banquet for the Chinese leader after the meeting.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, posted a video ridiculing the idea of ​​sitting down with the leader of a country accused of genocide against Uighur Muslims committed.

“How’s that dinner conversation going?” he asked.

“Wow, this filet mignon is a little dry. How is your extrajudicial internment of well over a million Uyghur Muslims going?

‘This Sauvignon Blanc is really tasty. Congratulations on completely crushing civil society in Hong Kong.”

He also wrote to the two groups, the National Committee on US China Relations (NCUSCR) and the US-China Business Council (USCBC), demanding information about the dinner and how the proceeds will be used.

“It is unreasonable that American companies would pay thousands of dollars to attend a ‘welcome dinner’ hosted by the very same officials (of the Chinese Communist Party) who facilitated a genocide against millions of innocent men, women and children in Xinjiang, ‘ he said. wrote.

The NCUSCR aims to promote better understanding between the two countries, while the USCBC is a grouping of 200 companies that promotes trade.

The New York Times reported that tickets for the dinner and reception cost $2,000 each. And for $40,000, companies can buy eight seats plus one at Xi’s table.

“Should executives from U.S. companies and financial institutions decide to meet with CCP officials at this dinner, these industry executives should not be misled by celebratory toasts and promises of future cooperation,” Gallagher said in his letter.

“Leaders must recognize that the reality of doing business in China today involves the increased risk of arbitrary detentions, exit bans and raids by Chinese intelligence services.”

Representative Mike Gallagher wrote to both groups demanding answers about the banquet

Xi was met by California Governor Gavin Newsom and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen

Protesters clashed with riot police as thousands of people took to the streets of San Francisco on Wednesday morning to ‘shut down’ the APEC summit.

He demanded the names of individuals and companies who purchased tickets for the dinner, including those who paid $40,000.

He also asked for an overview of how the banquet proceeds will be used.

“What steps, if any, have USCBC and NCUSCR taken to defend human rights in China and prevent the genocide of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang?” he asked.

A USCBC spokesperson said: ‘We welcome the opportunity to speak to the Select Committee about the USCBC’s mission and its long tradition of hosting the President of China and representatives of the US Government to promote constructive dialogue between the two further support and encouragement. to land.’

More than a hundred anti-Xi protesters gathered at the prime location on Wednesday morning.

Pema Doma, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, told the Associated Press that organizers expected hundreds of people from across the US to participate.

“We can say without a reasonable doubt that this will be the largest anti-Xi protest during the bilateral talks taking place here in the United States in the history of Xi Jinping’s time as dictator of China,” she said.

Supporters of China staged a counter-protest, waving Chinese and American flags nearby.