A guest list dominated by tech figures, the fashion choices of those on it, who sits where, their body language throughout the night and what’s on the menu: these are the softer — often and glitzier — details of diplomacy.

They will be closely scrutinized at Thursday's state dinner, which could offer telling clues about where things really stand between President Donald Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping on the more substantive policy matters discussed behind closed doors.

The leaders may have concentrated on tensions over Taiwan, trade, and artificial intelligence during business hours — even as an ongoing First Amendment battle over press access at the White House was unfolding.

But afterward, attention turns to the flashy details of a lavish meal honoring Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, in the White House's East Room.

“Everyone is vying to be present,” Trump remarked during this week’s United Nations General Assembly.

”It’s the most sought-after ticket in town.”

When questioned on Monday evening as to who would be present, the president replied, “sort of everybody,” further remarking, “I would say you have the entire tech world, the entire banking world and a lot more.”

The dinner was meant to showcase “the positive vibes surrounding the visit” and to signal that “the president is very focused on signaling warmth and a close personal connection with Xi,” said Edgard Kagan, senior adviser and chair in China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Melania Trump’s office has stated that the first lady assisted in arranging the dinner, the menu for which includes a first course of yellow squash velouté accompanied by wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, crispy pancetta, and a drizzle of scallion oil.

After that, guests will be served sesame-crusted sea bass with braised baby bok choy, roasted garden eggplant and a sauce verte.

For dessert, there will be vanilla crémeux with sour cherry confit and walnut frangipane, along with ice cream made with honey from the White House.

The dinner follows the president’s unconventional decision to greet Xi and his wife in person on Wednesday upon their arrival at Joint Base Andrews, situated outside Washington.

Customarily, presidents await their state visit guests’ arrival at the White House itself before extending a formal welcome.

A red carpet stretching 100 feet (30 meters) in length was unfurled to receive Xi’s aircraft, flanked by a 21-member honor guard.

Two American children proffered bouquets of yellow blossoms to Xi and his spouse, while a resounding flyover showcased two B-1 bombers.

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And at another arrival ceremony, this one at the White House earlier Thursday, Trump and Xi watched members of the military march around the South Lawn, with the U.S. president saying, “From the time of my first election in 2016 President Xi and I have forged a friendship.”

Thursday’s dinner will bring together a remarkable array of technology industry titans, among them Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Tesla and SpaceX’s Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai of Google, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, and Michael Dell, the CEO of Dell Technologies.

During his own visit to Beijing in May, Xi hosted Trump at a state dinner that unfolded beneath grand chandeliers in the Great Hall of the People.

That occasion drew numerous tech luminaries who are likely to be present at the White House this time, among them Tim Cook, formerly Apple’s CEO, Musk, and Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive.

Trump has since started calling the White House ballroom he is building the “Great Hall of the United States,” intended to rival the place where he dined in China.

“This is a very large hall,” Trump recently remarked of the Great Hall of the People, before adding, “But we’re gonna top it.”

In 2015, as then-President Barack Obama was preparing to host Xi for a state visit, Trump — in the midst of his first run for president — derided all the fanfare.

"Simply escort them to McDonald's and return to the negotiating table," Trump remarked at the time, during a rally in South Carolina.

He subsequently acknowledged on Fox News Channel that Xi might at least be deserving of "probably a double-size Big Mac."

Xi visited Trump in 2017 for the first time.

However, the White House indicated that the Chinese had sought for that meeting to take place at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, which was regarded as a more relaxed setting that might temper some of the lofty expectations surrounding a formal summit in Washington.

A dearth of pageantry did not, however, mean a lack of extraordinary moments, underscoring just how important it can be for China's leader to dine with Trump.

Recounting the episode to Fox News Channel later, Trump said he had sprung a surprise on Xi right after dinner, noting that the U.S. was striking Syria as the two were having “the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen, and President Xi was enjoying it.”

Trump recounted that he had informed Xi that U.S. forces had “just fired 59 missiles,” and that China’s president “was eating his cake. And he was silent.”