Trump to bring corporate chiefs to China for Xi summit

The Trump administration has invited executives from Nvidia, Apple, Boeing and other major U.S. companies to accompany President Trump on a visit to China next week for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the Korea Times reported, citing Semafor and Reuters.

The corporate delegation signals that trade deals are expected to dominate Trump's China agenda, with Boeing in particular angling for a long-deferred aircraft order that could top 500 jets — the company's first major Chinese purchase since 2017.

The White House is organizing a business delegation to travel with Trump to Beijing, according to the Korea Times, which cited Semafor's reporting. Beyond Nvidia, Apple, Boeing and Exxon, executives from Qualcomm, Blackstone, Citigroup and Visa also received invitations, the outlet said.

Qualcomm confirmed it received an invitation but declined further comment. Most other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the Korea Times.

Boeing's interests in the trip may be the most consequential of any company in the group. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told Reuters in April that "the company was counting on the Trump administration to help unlock a long-awaited major order from China." Industry reporting has suggested the potential deal could include roughly 500 737 MAX jets plus dozens of widebody aircraft.

China has not placed a major Boeing order since 2017, a gap of nearly a decade that has weighed on the planemaker's revenue and international market share. A transaction of the reported scale would rank among the largest single commercial aircraft orders in recent aviation history.

The summit takes place against a backdrop of tariff disputes and trade tensions between Washington and Beijing that have roiled global markets in recent months. The planned presence of top corporate figures suggests both governments see the visit as an opportunity to advance bilateral commercial ties.

The full roster of executives traveling to China had not been officially confirmed as of publication, and the White House made no formal announcement of the delegation ahead of the trip.