This week, House Speaker John Boehner raised eyebrows by turning down an offer to ride on Air Force One with President Obama and others headed to a memorial service in Tucson. Instead, he appeared at a reception for Republican operative Maria Cino. Now, on the heels of renewed calls for bipartisanship and toned-down political rhetoric, Boehner is saying “thanks, but no thanks” to another offer to appear at an event with the president – Wednesday’s White House state dinner.

The dinner, honoring the Chinese President Hu Jintao, will pull together leaders on both sides of the aisle, along with celebs, CEOs, Cabinet members, Supreme Court justices and media bigwigs.

A Boehner aide confirmed that the House speaker was invited to the dinner but will not be attending. Boehner also turned down invitations to the previous two state dinners held during Obama’s presidency, one honoring Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009, and the most recent state dinner honoring Mexican President Felipe Calderon in May 2010, the aide said.

Though Boehner was invited, other prominent Republican leaders were not. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has not yet received an invitation, an aide told POLITICO. Though the guest list is still being finalized, Cantor’s empty mailbox could certainly be seen as a slight, considering the most recent former House majority leader, Democrat Steny Hoyer, attended the most recent state dinner.

On the other side of the aisle: Rep. James Clyburn, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, was invited and plans to attend. Aides are still confirming whether other Democratic leaders, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Minority Whip Hoyer, will be in attendance.

The most prominent Chinese-American in the Obama administration, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, will be at the dinner as will California Rep. Judy Chu. Judy Chu, the first Chinese-American woman elected to Congress, has never been to a state dinner. Judy Chu said she was most looking forward to the receiving line, which will include the Chinese president. “I guess I’ll be doing some shopping this weekend,” Chu told POLITICO.

While prominent administration officials and some members of Congress are typically shoo-ins for an invite, a golden ticket to the event does not come easily to outsiders. The financial world has been buzzing over who will have an opportunity to chat up President Hu Jintao. Considering China’s place in the world economy, top bankers are looking at the state dinner as the best networking opportunity short of a 14-hour flight to Beijing.

Natasha Lennard contributed to this report.