Musk, Cook, Jensen Huang and more: The full list of CEOs joining Trump on his China trip

Musk, Cook, Jensen Huang and more: The full list of CEOs joining Trump on his China trip

Trade, artificial intelligence, and discussions around Iran are all expected to feature in the talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing

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Trump flies to Beijing with America's biggest CEOs in tow — here's who made the listTrump flies to Beijing with America's biggest CEOs in tow — here's who made the list
Business Today Desk
  • May 13, 2026,
  • Updated May 13, 2026 10:05 AM IST

Some of America's most powerful corporate executives, from Big Tech to Wall Street to agriculture, have been invited to join the US President Donald Trump on his trip to China for a meeting with President Xi Jinping, according to a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

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Trade, artificial intelligence, and discussions around Iran are all expected to feature in the talks between the two leaders.

Here is a closer look at the key executives making the trip.

DON'T MISS: Trump-Xi Beijing summit begins May 13: Trade, Iran war and tariffs, here's what on agenda

Elon Musk

Musk's presence on the delegation is perhaps the most closely watched. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who led Trump's Department of Government Efficiency before departing in spring 2025 ahead of the agency's closure in November, had a very public falling out with Trump last summer, including making unsubstantiated claims about the President's alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Musk later said he regretted some of those posts.

Since the fallout, Musk has redirected his focus to his companies. Tesla has a significant footprint in China, and Musk has made multiple visits there. He is also currently navigating legal pressure from French prosecutors over content on X, including child sexual abuse imagery, deepfakes, and disinformation- and is in the middle of a trial against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

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Tim Cook

Cook is on the trip as his long tenure at Apple draws to a close. He announced last month that he will step down as CEO on September 1, handing over the role to Apple's head of hardware engineering, John Ternus, while remaining with the company as executive chairman. During his 15 years at the helm, Apple's market value grew by more than $3.6 trillion.

China has been central to Cook's tenure in more ways than one. His management of Apple's deep manufacturing ties to the country and his navigation of two rounds of Trump-era trade wars have become a case study in corporate diplomacy.

After securing iPhone exemptions during Trump's first term, Cook faced a more complex challenge in the second. He ultimately shifted production of US-bound iPhones to India, won partial exemptions, and pledged a $600 billion US investment to keep the administration's goodwill.

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Kelly Ortberg

Robert "Kelly" Ortberg took the top job at Boeing in 2024, inheriting a company mired in legal, regulatory, and production difficulties. A former CEO of aerospace manufacturer Rockwell Collins, Ortberg has been focused on stabilising Boeing's recovery. China's retaliatory 125% tariff on American goods, imposed in April 2025 in response to Trump's 145% tariff on Chinese products, had posed a significant threat to Boeing, whose passenger jets sell for tens of millions of dollars. That threat has eased somewhat as Boeing has gradually reduced its dependence on Chinese deliveries. The company is currently in ongoing talks with China over a potential large aircraft sale.

The full delegation

Beyond the three names above, the White House official confirmed a wide-ranging list of executives making the trip:

  • Jensen Huang — President and CEO, Nvidia
  • Larry Fink — Chairman and CEO, BlackRock
  • Stephen Schwarzman — Chairman, CEO and co-founder, Blackstone
  • Brian Sikes — Chairman and CEO, Cargill
  • Jane Fraser — Chairman and CEO, Citi
  • Jim Anderson — CEO, Coherent
  • H. Lawrence Culp — Chairman and CEO, GE Aerospace
  • David Solomon — Chairman and CEO, Goldman Sachs
  • Jacob Thaysen — CEO, Illumina
  • Michael Miebach — CEO, Mastercard
  • Dina Powell McCormick — President and Vice Chairman, Meta
  • Sanjay Mehrotra — Chairman, President and CEO, Micron
  • Cristiano Amon — President and CEO, Qualcomm
  • Ryan McInerney — CEO, Visa

Some of America's most powerful corporate executives, from Big Tech to Wall Street to agriculture, have been invited to join the US President Donald Trump on his trip to China for a meeting with President Xi Jinping, according to a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Advertisement

Trade, artificial intelligence, and discussions around Iran are all expected to feature in the talks between the two leaders.

Here is a closer look at the key executives making the trip.

DON'T MISS: Trump-Xi Beijing summit begins May 13: Trade, Iran war and tariffs, here's what on agenda

Elon Musk

Musk's presence on the delegation is perhaps the most closely watched. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who led Trump's Department of Government Efficiency before departing in spring 2025 ahead of the agency's closure in November, had a very public falling out with Trump last summer, including making unsubstantiated claims about the President's alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Musk later said he regretted some of those posts.

Since the fallout, Musk has redirected his focus to his companies. Tesla has a significant footprint in China, and Musk has made multiple visits there. He is also currently navigating legal pressure from French prosecutors over content on X, including child sexual abuse imagery, deepfakes, and disinformation- and is in the middle of a trial against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Advertisement

Tim Cook

Cook is on the trip as his long tenure at Apple draws to a close. He announced last month that he will step down as CEO on September 1, handing over the role to Apple's head of hardware engineering, John Ternus, while remaining with the company as executive chairman. During his 15 years at the helm, Apple's market value grew by more than $3.6 trillion.

China has been central to Cook's tenure in more ways than one. His management of Apple's deep manufacturing ties to the country and his navigation of two rounds of Trump-era trade wars have become a case study in corporate diplomacy.

After securing iPhone exemptions during Trump's first term, Cook faced a more complex challenge in the second. He ultimately shifted production of US-bound iPhones to India, won partial exemptions, and pledged a $600 billion US investment to keep the administration's goodwill.

Advertisement

Kelly Ortberg

Robert "Kelly" Ortberg took the top job at Boeing in 2024, inheriting a company mired in legal, regulatory, and production difficulties. A former CEO of aerospace manufacturer Rockwell Collins, Ortberg has been focused on stabilising Boeing's recovery. China's retaliatory 125% tariff on American goods, imposed in April 2025 in response to Trump's 145% tariff on Chinese products, had posed a significant threat to Boeing, whose passenger jets sell for tens of millions of dollars. That threat has eased somewhat as Boeing has gradually reduced its dependence on Chinese deliveries. The company is currently in ongoing talks with China over a potential large aircraft sale.

The full delegation

Beyond the three names above, the White House official confirmed a wide-ranging list of executives making the trip:

  • Jensen Huang — President and CEO, Nvidia
  • Larry Fink — Chairman and CEO, BlackRock
  • Stephen Schwarzman — Chairman, CEO and co-founder, Blackstone
  • Brian Sikes — Chairman and CEO, Cargill
  • Jane Fraser — Chairman and CEO, Citi
  • Jim Anderson — CEO, Coherent
  • H. Lawrence Culp — Chairman and CEO, GE Aerospace
  • David Solomon — Chairman and CEO, Goldman Sachs
  • Jacob Thaysen — CEO, Illumina
  • Michael Miebach — CEO, Mastercard
  • Dina Powell McCormick — President and Vice Chairman, Meta
  • Sanjay Mehrotra — Chairman, President and CEO, Micron
  • Cristiano Amon — President and CEO, Qualcomm
  • Ryan McInerney — CEO, Visa

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