As Donald Trump prepares to visit China in his capacity as President of the United States, a delegation of leading figures from the business and technology sectors will accompany him. Among Trump’s delegation are Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, as well as executives from Meta, Visa, JP Morgan, Boeing, and Cargill, among others. According to a White House official, a total of 17 chief executives from American companies will be part of Trump’s team.
This visit is considered highly significant amid rising economic and technological tensions between the US and China. The meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing will be closely watched. In addition to Musk, Cook, and Fink, other executives joining the delegation include: Dina Powell McCormick, Chair and Vice Chair of Meta, Kelly Ortberg, Chair and CEO of Boeing, Ryan McKernan, CEO of Visa, Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone, Brian Sikes, CEO and Chair of Blackstone, Jane Fraser, CEO of Cargill, Anderson, CEO of Citic, Henry Laurent Kalpan, CEO of Coherent, David Solomon, CEO of GE Aerospace, Jacob Tesson, CEO of Goldman Sachs, Michael Miebach, Chair of Illumina. Notably, some prominent executives such as Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and the Mastercard CEO are not listed among the delegation.
Huang’s company is at the center of ongoing US-China disputes surrounding computer chips and artificial intelligence (AI). Despite Air Force One having to stop for refueling in Anchorage, Alaska, due to fuel restrictions, Huang was seen boarding the plane. A spokesperson for Nvidia stated, “Jensen is attending the meetings at President Trump’s invitation to support the objectives of the US and his administration.”
Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra is also part of Trump’s delegation. In 2023, China imposed restrictions on some chips produced by Micron citing national security concerns, which negatively impacted Micron’s business in China. Mehrotra’s inclusion is therefore regarded as particularly noteworthy. Despite tensions over technology and export controls, the semiconductor industry remains a crucial element in US-China economic relations.
Cisco’s CEO and Chair Chuck Robbins was also invited on the trip but was unable to participate due to the company preparing its financial reports, a Cisco spokesperson said. Overall, the delegation represents a diverse cross-section of sectors from social media and hardware to computer chips and industrial products, primarily from Californian companies. A spokesperson for biotechnology firm Illumina expressed pride in having Jacob Tesson join the delegation, describing the visit as an opportunity to “strengthen relationships and help shape the future of precision medicine.”
Other companies chose not to issue immediate responses. After nearly a decade of trade disputes, the US President is visiting China once again. Trump also visited Beijing in 2017. The trade war escalated as both countries imposed higher tariffs on each other’s goods. While tensions eased somewhat afterward, the situation remains fragile. Following a meeting between Trump and Xi in South Korea in October 2025, tariff decisions were postponed. The meeting is also believed to be influenced by the conflict initiated by Israel and the US in Iran, which has contributed to delays in top-level dialogues. It is anticipated that Trump may urge China to pressure Tehran to end the conflict. China has been purchasing cheap oil from Iran and also seeks an end to the war. Although some disruption in oil supply has impacted China’s purchasing power, Chinese oilfields and other energy sources have helped mitigate the effects better than other nations.
