US Auto Industry Urges Trump to Bar Chinese Cars as Xi Summit Approaches With BYD in Play

A broad coalition of automakers, suppliers and dealers formally urged President Trump not to allow Chinese vehicles to be sold or manufactured in the United States ahead of next week's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, warning that any such deal would devastate the domestic industry. The push came after reports that Chinese officials are considering including EV giant BYD in a business delegation accompanying Xi to Washington, raising alarm on Capitol Hill as well. Michigan Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin said that if BYD attends, it can only be assumed that deals to import or manufacture Chinese cars are under discussion.

The summit, set for around September 24, is shaping up as a wide-ranging negotiating session. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this weekend to discuss artificial intelligence and rare earths ahead of the leaders' talks. Trump has previously signaled he would be open to Chinese automakers building cars inside the United States, a position the industry coalition is explicitly trying to reverse.

The guest list for Trump's state dinner for Xi is drawing attention in its own right. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple Executive Chairman Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser and Qualcomm head Cristiano Amon are among those expected to attend, reflecting the summit's emphasis on technology and trade. Markets are treating the meeting as a near-term catalyst: the iShares China Large-Cap ETF trades at roughly half the S&P 500's price-to-earnings multiple, 11.10 versus 22.54, and analysts flagged the summit as a potential trigger for a re-rating. Auto stocks slipped on the day as Volkswagen cut its outlook alongside the coalition's announcement.