House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid say they will skip a state dinner with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Mr. Reid and Mr. Boehner are expected to meet with Hu during a separate meeting Thursday on Capitol Hill. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who has voiced concerns over China’s human-rights policy, says she will attend the state dinner.
The official state dinner is just the third during the Obama administration.
Both Mr. Reid and Mr. McConnell are back in their home states during the dinner. They are expected to return to Washington on Thursday, where they will meet with the Chinese President.
The White House seemed to urge members of Congress to attend the dinner. “We hope that because of the importance of the relationship that they would attend,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday.
