Elon Musk, Tim Cook Among Top U.S. Executives Joining Trump on China Trip
- President Donald Trump is traveling to Beijing on May 13, 2026, to meet with President Xi Jinping, accompanied by a delegation of prominent U.S.
- The meeting is expected to cover trade and artificial intelligence, alongside discussions regarding the conflict in Iran.
- The list of invited executives was provided by a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to comment publicly.
President Donald Trump is traveling to Beijing on May 13, 2026, to meet with President Xi Jinping, accompanied by a delegation of prominent U.S. Business leaders from the technology, agriculture, and aerospace sectors.
The meeting is expected to cover trade and artificial intelligence, alongside discussions regarding the conflict in Iran.
The list of invited executives was provided by a White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to comment publicly.
Elon Musk and Tesla
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of the social media platform X, is among the invited leaders. Musk previously led the Department of Government Efficiency until his departure in the spring of 2025, prior to the agency being shuttered in November 2025.
Musk’s relationship with President Trump has seen periods of volatility. During the summer of 2025, the two engaged in a public dispute in which Musk claimed without evidence that the government was hiding information about the president’s association with Jeffrey Epstein. Musk later expressed regret regarding some of those posts on X.
Beyond his business interests in China, Musk is currently facing legal challenges in France. French prosecutors are seeking charges against Musk and X related to disinformation, deepfakes, child sexual abuse images on the platform, and the complicity of the artificial intelligence system Grok in denying crimes against humanity. Musk is involved in a trial against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Tim Cook’s Transition at Apple
Apple CEO Tim Cook is also expected to join the delegation as his tenure as chief executive nears its end. Cook announced in April 2026 that he will step down as CEO on September 1, 2026, at which point John Ternus, Apple’s head of hardware engineering, will assume the role. Cook will transition to the position of executive chairman.
Under Cook’s 15-year leadership, Apple’s market value increased by more than $3.6 trillion. Cook has navigated complex diplomatic relations with China to manage Apple’s reliance on overseas manufacturing, specifically during trade conflicts during President Trump’s first term.
During the current administration, President Trump pressured Apple to move iPhone manufacturing to the United States and imposed certain tariffs on the devices. Cook mitigated these costs by shifting the production of iPhones intended for the U.S. Market to India and pledging that Apple would invest $600 billion in the U.S. During Trump’s second administration.
Boeing and Trade Pressures
Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, who became CEO of Boeing in 2024 after serving as CEO of Rockwell Collins, is included in the delegation. Ortberg has focused on Boeing’s recovery amid significant production, regulatory, and legal challenges.
The aerospace company has faced steep economic hurdles due to trade tensions. In April 2025, Beijing increased the import tax on American goods to 125% in response to President Trump raising tariffs on Chinese-made products to 145%. This tax increase more than doubled the cost of passenger jets sold by Boeing to China.
Despite these tariffs, Ortberg stated a year ago that he did not expect the trade war to stop Boeing’s financial recovery or its ability to meet delivery targets for Chinese airlines. Boeing is currently engaged in ongoing negotiations with China regarding a potentially large aircraft sale.
Additional Delegation Members
The White House official identified several other high-ranking executives invited to join the trip to Beijing:
- Larry Fink, BlackRock Chairman and CEO
- Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstone Chairman, CEO and co-founder
- Brian Sikes, Cargill Chairman and CEO
- Jane Fraser, Citi Chairman and CEO
- Jim Anderson, Coherent CEO
- H. Lawrence Culp, GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO
- David Solomon, Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO
- Jacob Thaysen, Illumina CEO
- Michael Miebach, Mastercard CEO
- Dina Powell McCormick, Meta President and Vice Chairman
- Sanjay Mehrotra, Micron Chairman, President and CEO
- Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm President and CEO
- Ryan McInerney, Visa CEO