President Donald Trump is bringing several prominent U.S. CEOs to Beijing this week, placing business deals, technology access and security disputes at the center of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump invited Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg to join the China trip, according to a White House official cited in reports. The meetings are expected to begin May 13, with discussions set to tackle trade, artificial intelligence, export controls, Taiwan and the war in Iran.
The delegation also includes Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Cargill’s Brian Sikes, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser, Coherent’s Jim Anderson, GE Aerospace’s H. Lawrence Culp Jr., Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon, Illumina’s Jacob Thaysen, Mastercard’s Michael Miebach, Meta executive Dina Powell McCormick, Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra, Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon and Visa’s Ryan McInerney.
The visit comes after weeks of tension over AI technology, sanctions, rare earth exports and semiconductor restrictions. These issues have affected supply chains, technology access, export regulations and prices.
Trump has described the trip as an opportunity to secure business deals and purchase agreements with China. Boeing has been discussing a potential order that could include 500 737 MAX jets, which would become one of the company’s largest transactions if finalized. Musk’s inclusion is also significant because Tesla is seeking Chinese approval for its full self-driving technology.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will not join the delegation despite saying an invitation would be “a privilege” and “a great honor to represent the United States.” Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins was invited but cannot attend because of Cisco’s earnings schedule.
Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser told CNBC, “I think it’s very important to see engagement.” She added, “we all need that engagement to be occurring.” The summit now tests whether major deals can move forward even as disputes over trade, AI, chips, Taiwan and security remain unresolved.
