Diplomacy

Obamas Host Star-Studded State Dinner

While Chinese leaders compromise on software piracy, protectionism.

The first couple hosted its “most lavish” night at the White House Wednesday, with a state dinner in honor of China and Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the U.S. The star-studded guest list included former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, Barbra Streisand, Vera Wang, and Vogue Editor Anna Wintour. The final list was apparently subject to a rigorous selection process: It was carefully discussed, dissected, and eventually set at 225, The New York Times reports, and filled with prominent Chinese Americans and many corporate executives. There were also some surprise guests: Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch, was invited, possibly as part of Obama’s push to get China to improve their human-rights record. Meanwhile, Chinese leaders promised Wednesday to crack down on software piracy, a major source of tension between China and the U.S., and Beijing also pledged to reform policies that make it extremely difficult for foreign countries to get government contracts.