US President Donald Trump is expected to travel to China this week with a delegation of leading American business and technology executives as Washington and Beijing prepare for high-level talks amid ongoing trade and technology tensions.
A White House official familiar with the plans told the BBC that 17 US executives are set to join Trump during the visit to Beijing, where he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The delegation includes senior leaders from companies spanning technology, finance, manufacturing, aerospace, and consumer services.
Among those expected to join the trip are Tim Cook of Apple, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, and Larry Fink of BlackRock.
The visit comes at a time of growing economic and technological rivalry between the United States and China, particularly around semiconductors, artificial intelligence, trade restrictions, and industrial policy.
Executives From Finance, Aerospace And Technology To Join Delegation
The delegation also includes Dina Powell McCormick from Meta, Kelly Ortberg from Boeing, and Ryan McInerney from Visa.
Other executives expected to participate include:
- Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone
- Brian Sikes of Cargill
- Jane Fraser of Citi
- Jim Anderson of Coherent
- Henry Lawrence Culp of GE Aerospace
- David Solomon of Goldman Sachs
- Jacob Thaysen of Illumina
- Michael Miebach of Mastercard
The group represents industries ranging from social media and semiconductors to banking, biotechnology, aerospace, and payment systems.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Not Included
Notably absent from the delegation is Jensen Huang of Nvidia, whose company has become central to the competition between the US and China over AI chips and semiconductor exports.
Last week, Huang told CNBC it would be a “privilege” to represent the United States in China if invited.
The BBC said it contacted Nvidia for comment.
The inclusion of Sanjay Mehrotra from Micron Technology is also significant.
China restricted the use of certain Micron chips in critical infrastructure projects in 2023, citing national security concerns. Micron previously said the restrictions negatively affected its business operations in China.
Semiconductors remain one of the most contentious areas in US-China relations, particularly after years of export controls and investment restrictions imposed by Washington.
Chuck Robbins of Cisco had also been invited to participate but declined due to earnings-related commitments, according to a company spokesperson.
Iran Conflict Expected To Influence Talks
Trump’s meeting with Xi is expected to test the stability of a fragile trade truce between the two countries.
The US and China paused tariffs in October 2025 after Trump and Xi previously met in South Korea, temporarily easing a trade conflict that had at times involved tariffs exceeding 100%.
The ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran is also expected to shape discussions in Beijing.
The meeting between Trump and Xi had already been delayed because of developments linked to the war.
According to the report, Trump is expected to pressure China to help facilitate an agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the conflict.
China, which imports discounted Iranian oil, also wants the conflict to end, though the report noted the country has managed the fallout better than several neighboring economies due to large oil reserves and diversified energy supplies.
A spokesperson for Illumina said Thaysen was “honored to be part of the delegation” and expressed hope that the trip would help “strengthen relationships and shape the future of precision medicine.”
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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