Trump’s Upcoming Visit to China: A Look at the Business Leaders Attending
On Monday, the White House unveiled the list of 16 prominent business executives accompanying President Trump on his highly anticipated trip to China. Scheduled to start on Tuesday and span until Friday, the visit is expected to cover crucial matters such as enhancing artificial intelligence (AI) communication and addressing trade relations.
Among the executives, Boeing’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, is expected to join, likely heralding announcements concerning additional aircraft purchases by China. Agricultural behemoth Cargill will also be represented, with CEO Brian Sikes likely discussing Chinese agricultural acquisitions.
High-profile entrepreneur Elon Musk of Tesla is also included, making headlines due to his previous discord with Trump last year. However, their relationship has seemingly improved, as Musk has appeared alongside the president in recent months.
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025. (REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
In a notable absence, Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang will not attend the meetings, despite China’s interest in accessing Nvidia’s cutting-edge Blackwell chips. His absence may be linked to national security concerns among some officials within the White House regarding commitment to engaging with the Chinese market.
The current delegation is smaller compared to previous visits, where Trump was flanked by extensive groups of business leaders. For instance, during his Middle East visit a year ago, he was accompanied by around 60 CEOs focused on securing major deals. Similarly, his last tour of Beijing in 2017 featured 29 business leaders.
The reduced number of attendees may reflect a division within the White House concerning Trump’s inclination for "unfettered" deal-making and the more cautious stance adopted by officials concerned with national security implications linked to business investments in China.
The White House aims to temper expectations surrounding significant deals, with a senior official clarifying that there are no massive investment proposals from China currently on the negotiating table.
Delegation List:
According to a White House announcement, the delegation includes:
- Tim Cook (Apple)
- Larry Fink (BlackRock)
- Stephen Schwarzman (Blackstone)
- Kelly Ortberg (Boeing)
- Brian Sikes (Cargill)
- Jane Fraser (Citi)
- Jim Anderson (Coherent)
- Larry Culp (GE Aerospace)
- David Solomon (Goldman Sachs)
- Jacob Thaysen (Illumina)
- Michael Miebach (Mastercard)
- Dina Powell McCormick (Meta)
- Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron)
- Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm)
- Elon Musk (Tesla)
- Ryan McInerney (Visa)
Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco, was invited but unable to attend due to the company’s earnings schedule.
This forthcoming trip represents a complex intersection of business and diplomacy, with implications for international relations and global markets. The collected viewpoints and negotiations during this trip will likely shape future business dynamics between the U.S. and China.
As the economic landscape remains in flux, this visit could pave the way for enhanced bilateral engagements or, conversely, underline persistent challenges that accompany U.S.-China relations. Given the strategic implications, market watchers will be closely monitoring developments emerging from this significant diplomatic engagement.
