diplomacyMonday, May 11, 2026event May 126 sources

Trump Travels to China with Musk, Cook, and 17 CEOs for High-Stakes Trade Talks

Donald Trump is traveling to China with over a dozen top US CEOs, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, for trade talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The visit aims to secure major deals, with a potential Boeing aircraft order as a key focus. The trip includes 17 executives across industries like aviation, tech, and finance.

Donald Trump is heading to China for a superpower summit, marking the first visit by a US president to China in nearly a decade. The White House has confirmed that 17 US executives, including Tim Cook of Apple and Elon Musk of Tesla, will accompany Trump. The delegation also includes Larry Fink of BlackRock, Kelly Ortberg of Boeing, and Dina Powell McCormick of Meta. The trip is focused on securing major trade deals, with a potential blockbuster order for Boeing aircraft being a key priority. The White House has emphasized the importance of the visit in fostering economic cooperation between the two nations.

Where Sources Diverge

The exact number of executives accompanying Trump varies between sources, with some reporting 17 and others not specifying.

bbc-world

A total of 17 US executives are set to join the president on his visit.

scmp

US President Donald Trump is expected to be accompanied by more than a dozen business leaders.

The focus of the trip is described differently, with some emphasizing trade talks and others highlighting the potential Boeing aircraft order.

guardian

Trump is heading to China to spread the gospel of American tech while emulating Xi Jinping on AI.

times-of-india

The visit aims to secure massive deals, with a potential blockbuster order for Boeing aircraft being a key focus.

Timelines

Sources

PublicFrance 24May 12, 08:03 PM
Trump heads to China for superpower summit

Donald Trump was due in Beijing Wednesday on the first visit to China by a US president in nearly a decade, as he seeks to ramp up trade despite potential friction over Taiwan and Iran.

IndependentThe GuardianMay 12, 11:00 AM
Trump heads to China to spread the gospel of American tech while emulating Xi Jinping on AI

Tim Cook and Elon Musk, among other tech CEOS, will accompany the US president on a trip to China Donald Trump is heading to China this week. If his guest list is any clue, he wants to discuss technology with Xi Jinping, though perhaps after the war in Iran. On Monday, news broke that outgoing Apple CEO, Tim Cook, as well as SpaceX and Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, would join the US president. Other guests from the tech sphere include Meta’s recently appointed president, Dina Powell McCormick; Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of computer memory maker Micron; Chuck Robbins, CEO of longtime telecom giant Cisco; and Cristiano Amon, CEO of semiconductor maker Qualcomm, according to a White House official. Continue reading...

IndependentThe HinduMay 12, 10:34 AM
Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook to head to China with Trump, per White House

Beijing has said it is ready to work with the United States in pursuit of "more stability"

IndependentSouth China Morning PostMay 12, 01:49 AM
Trump heads to China with Musk, Cook and top CEOs for Xi talks

US President Donald Trump is expected to be accompanied by more than a dozen business leaders, including Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk and Tim Cook of Apple, during his trip to China this week. The White House on Monday released the list of leaders set to travel to China alongside Musk and Cook, including Larry Fink of BlackRock, Kelly Ortberg of Boeing, Dina Powell McCormick of Meta and Ryan McInerney of Visa. The delegation spans key industries, including aviation, technology, banking and...

PublicBBC WorldMay 11, 10:26 PM
Elon Musk and Tim Cook among CEOs expected to accompany Trump on China trip

A total of 17 US executives are set to join the president on his visit, where he will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

IndependentTimes of IndiaMay 11, 08:16 PM
Tim Cook, Elon Musk to join Trump’s China visit; Nvidia CEO may skip summit

President Trump is leading a delegation of top American CEOs, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, to Beijing for high-stakes trade talks. The visit aims to secure massive deals, with a potential blockbuster order for Boeing aircraft being a key focus. Notably absent is Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, as the trip prioritizes agriculture and commercial aviation over high-end semiconductors.