Chinese flag and the Stars and Stripes fly along Pennsylvania Avenue near the US Capitol in Washington during President Hu Jintao’s state visit on Tuesday. [Agencies]

NEW YORK - There is much attention on President Hu Jintao’s state visit to the United States, with equal attention and curiosity on who will be attending the White House state dinner on Wednesday, hosted by US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

In addition to predictable cabinet members such as Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Judy Chu, the first Chinese-American woman elected to the US Congress, is expected to attend.

Oakland mayor Jean Quan has told the media she has been invited. On Jan 3, Quan became Oakland’s first female mayor and the first Asian American woman to head a major US city.

But since Quan’s husband is ill, she is bringing San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, who was sworn in a week ago as the 43rd mayor of the City and County of San Francisco.

“I am very honored,” Quan said of the invitation.

John Chen, chairman of the Committee of 100, has also been confirmed to attend, committee public relations director Ping An told China Daily. Chen, chairman and CEO and president of Sybase, became chairman of the committee in May 2009.

The Committee of 100 is a national organization comprising American citizens of Chinese descent. Its members hold leadership positions in a wide range of professions.

Ping said Charlie Woo, co-founder and CEO of Megatoys from Los Angeles, and a member of the Committee of 100, has also been invited.

US news media have reported that some top US bankers have been fighting for an invitation.

“Sources say top bank executives lobbied the West Wing nonstop for seats and the chance to win favor with the world’s rising economic power,” Ben White, a reporter of Politico.com, said.

The dinner for Hu will be the third state dinner Obama has hosted since taking office two years ago. State dinners were held for India in 2009 and for Mexico last year.

For each of the state dinners, Michelle Obama, who is responsible for planning them with the White House social secretary, hired a guest chef to help prepare the meal.

For the Mexican state dinner, the first couple hired chef Rick Bayless, a personal favorite of theirs but also a recognized TV face who specializes in Mexican cuisine. For the Indian state dinner, they chose Swedish chef Marcus Samuelsson of New York’s Aquavit restaurant, another popular TV face.

But no one knows who is going to be the guest chef to cook for Hu.

In August, White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford visited Beijing and Hong Kong with Club des Chefs des Chefs, the elite culinary fraternity of chefs who cook for royal families and heads of state.

Comerford met four Chinese chefs from Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, and explored Asian cuisine with a series of cooking demonstrations.

The dinner will be the first for a Chinese leader since 1997 when the then president Bill Clinton and Hillary hosted the then president Jiang Zemin and his wife Wang Yeping in October 1997. Chilled lobster in tarragon sauce, pepper-crusted Oregon beef and whipped Yukon Gold potatoes were served to more than 230 guests in the East Room.

On Tuesday, shortly after Hu arrived in Washington, Obama hosted a private dinner for him, in the Old Family Dining Room of the White House.