Tech executives travel to China with Trump for trade, AI talks

Elon Musk, Jensen Huang and more than a dozen other prominent U.S. technology and financial executives traveled to China aboard Air Force One with President Donald Trump to hold trade and artificial intelligence discussions with President Xi Jinping, The Korea Times reported.

The high-level commercial delegation joined Trump's diplomatic mission to Beijing as the U.S. and China navigate dueling triple-digit tariffs — Washington's 145% levy on Chinese imports and Beijing's 125% counter-tariff on American goods — that have strained bilateral trade since 2025.

The delegation included Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone co-founder and Chairman Stephen Schwarzman, Citi Chairman and CEO Jane Fraser, Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon, Micron Chairman and President Sanjay Mehrotra, Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon, and Meta President Dina Powell McCormick, according to The Korea Times.

Semiconductor export policy formed a central backdrop for the visit. Nvidia received conditional approval in January 2026 to export its H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, though the company's more advanced Blackwell and Rubin chips remain restricted, The Korea Times reported. China may import no more than 50% of the volume of H200 chips sold in the United States, all exports must pass third-party review, and the chips cannot be used for military purposes.

Cook's participation underscores Apple's substantial commercial stakes in China. His 15-year tenure as Apple CEO is scheduled to end Sept. 1, 2026, a span during which the company's market value climbed by more than $3.6 trillion, according to The Korea Times. Apple has pledged $600 billion in U.S. investment during Trump's second administration.

Boeing CEO Ortberg, who took the role in 2024, joined the delegation as the planemaker is in ongoing talks with China over large aircraft sales, The Korea Times reported.

Musk previously led Trump's Department of Government Efficiency until spring 2025, and Tesla operates manufacturing facilities in China. He is separately facing charges from French prosecutors related to content on his social media platform X, The Korea Times noted.

In addition to trade policy and artificial intelligence, discussions also covered Iran, according to The Korea Times.

Trump arrived in Beijing Wednesday. The summit drew leaders spanning technology, finance and aerospace — one of the most prominent assemblies of U.S. corporate leadership on Chinese soil in recent memory, The Korea Times reported.