Boeing Co said on Wednesday it had launched a venture capital arm and invested in two tech startups, a fresh sign of the importance big companies see in keeping up with rapidly evolving technology for designing and making products.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet U.S. tech titans and tour Boeing Co's biggest factory and Microsoft Corp's sprawling campus near Seattle this week as he kicks off a U.S. visit that also includes a black-tie state dinner at the White House hosted by President Barack Obama.