President Donald Trump called for Chinese leader Xi Jinping to “open up” the country as he jetted to Beijing alongside a phalanx of leaders of the nation’s top tech and finance companies.
Read more Takeaways from the nation’s oddest Senate primary
In addition to his administration’s delegation, Trump traveled with the world’s richest man, Tesla chief and former DOGE leader Elon Musk, aboard Air Force One. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who leads the world’s most valuable company, joined the plane at a refueling stop in Anchorage.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social early Wednesday that it was an “honor” to have business leaders join the trip, which is his first to China in nearly a decade. “I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher level! In fact, I promise, that when we are together, which will be in a matter of hours, I will make that my very first request.”
The discussions, which are expected to cover trade and artificial intelligence, come after a bruising trade war led to an uneasy economic truce between the U.S. and China. Here’s a look at some of the business leaders who will join Trump on the trip:
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang: The Taiwanese American founder of the Silicon Valley AI chipmaker leads the first company in history to be valued above $5 trillion and wants to export more to China. Huang’s inclusion followed earlier reports that he would not attend, something Trump dismissed as “FAKE NEWS” in his post, saying Huang was traveling with him on Air Force One “unless I ask him to leave, which is highly unlikely.”
A Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement that Huang was attending “at the invitation of President Trump to support America and the administration’s goals.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook: Cook worked behind the scenes to exempt electronic products that Apple produces in China from Trump’s tariffs, which would have caused the price of iPhones to skyrocket.
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink: The chair and CEO of the global investment firm has $14 trillion in assets under management, according to the company.
Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman: The private equity leader declined to endorse Trump in 2016 but has since emerged as one of his most generous donors and the president’s de facto China whisperer, The Post reported.
Boeing CEO Robert ‘Kelly’ Ortberg: Ortberg is an airline industry veteran who took the top job at Boeing in 2024, charged with turning around the airline manufacturer beset by safety woes and regulatory issues. He told Reuters in April that Boeing was counting on the Trump administration to help unlock a major plane order from China.
Cargill CEO Brian Sikes: Sikes is the leader of American food and agriculture company Cargill. China, the world’s biggest importer of soybeans, stopped buying U.S. crops last year to put pressure on Trump but resumed purchases early this year.
Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser: Fraser leads the global bank, which has done business in China since 1902, and is also a member of the Federal Reserve’s Advisory Council.
Read more Trump arrives in China with lowered ambitions, hoping for deals
GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp: Culp has previously met with Trump and advocated for a tariff-free regime for the aerospace industry, according to Reuters.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon: The bank has a long history in China, and Solomon has called for the two countries to improve their ties. He took over at the bank in 2018 after the retirement of Lloyd Blankfein.
Micron Technology CEO Sanjay Mehrotra: The Indian American tech executive leads a company that has previously been given government grants to build chip factories in New York and Idaho. Its products were banned from key projects in China as a national security risk, the BBC reported.
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon: The leader of the semiconductor company said it is “betting big” on robotics and expects tech innovations to have a major impact on workers.
Illumina CEO Jacob Thaysen: The gene-sequencing company said Thaysen was honored to be part of the U.S. delegation, Reuters reported. “This is an opportunity to strengthen relationships and shape the future of precision medicine,” it said in a statement.
Visa CEO Ryan McInerney, Mastercard President Michael Miebach and the president and vice chair of Meta were also invited to attend, according to media reports.
Cameron Johnson, a Shanghai-based supply chain consultant in Beijing for meetings related to the summit, said bringing a host of high-profile executives gives Trump “another tool in the tool kit” when it comes to negotiations. The inclusion of Huang in particular was an “absolute benefit” to the president, he said.
“Having basically all of these leaders of Fortune 500 companies … actually shows kind of the appropriate level of respect,” he said. “Hopefully … there will be some easing up of tensions, and maybe we can kind of get more back to business versus attacking each other.”
Other figures in Trump’s orbit will also travel to China, including Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump’s son Eric — executive vice president of the Trump Organization — and his wife, Lara Trump.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and communications director Steven Cheung will also attend.
Read more Unusual flood of money from a veterans group roils Iowa Senate primary
