Elon Musk, Tim Cook to Join Trump on High-Stakes China Visit

US President Donald Trump is expected to travel to China this week accompanied by a high-profile delegation of American business leaders, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook, as Washington and Beijing seek to strengthen economic ties amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

According to reports from Reuters, Bloomberg and other international outlets, the White House has invited more than a dozen top executives to join Trump during his May 13–15 state visit to Beijing, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The delegation is expected to include executives from major technology, finance, aviation and manufacturing firms. Among those reportedly joining the trip are BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Goldman Sachs chief David Solomon, Blackstone chairman Stephen Schwarzman, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Meta executive Dina Powell McCormick.

The visit is seen as a major diplomatic and economic effort aimed at easing tensions between the world’s two largest economies while encouraging new trade and investment agreements. Reports indicate discussions between Trump and Xi could focus on tariffs, artificial intelligence, export controls, rare earth minerals, aviation deals and the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

Sources familiar with the plans said the White House hopes the trip will result in large-scale purchase agreements involving American agricultural products, energy supplies and Boeing aircraft. Reuters reported that China may also discuss potential orders for hundreds of Boeing jets, which could become one of the largest aviation deals in history.

China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that Trump’s state visit would proceed this week, marking the first visit by a sitting US president to China since Trump’s earlier trip to Beijing in 2017 during his first term in office.

Notably absent from the reported delegation is Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, despite earlier speculation that he might participate in the summit. Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins was also reportedly invited but may not attend because of corporate scheduling commitments.

The planned visit comes at a sensitive moment in US-China relations, with both countries continuing to clash over trade policy, Taiwan, technology restrictions and global security issues. Analysts say the presence of major corporate executives highlights the importance both governments place on stabilizing commercial relations despite broader political disagreements.