Trump Invites Nvidia, Apple, Exxon, Boeing CEOs to Beijing Meetings With Xi Jinping

The Trump administration plans to invite CEOs from Nvidia, Apple, Exxon, Boeing and other major companies to accompany President Donald Trump on a trip to China next week for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 and 15.

“Semafor reports that Tim Cook is among the CEOs likely to be invited to an upcoming trip to China”

9to5Mac

Semafor reported that the invitation list also includes executives from Qualcomm, Blackstone, Citigroup and Visa, and a person familiar with the matter confirmed Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser was invited.

9to5Mac

In an interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said, “we should let the president announce whatever he decides to announce” and added that “if invited, it would be a privilege, it would be a great honor to represent the United States.”

Reuters reported that it was not able to confirm the full list of companies invited, but a different source said several CEOs received invitations on Wednesday evening.

The White House and multiple companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while Qualcomm confirmed the invitation but declined to comment further.

Politico reported that American business leaders are frustrated over what they describe as mixed signals from the White House about the role CEOs will play in Trump’s upcoming trip to Beijing, with the administration having deliberated for weeks on the delegation size.

Politico said that, according to two people briefed by the White House, administration officials circulated a draft list of executives from roughly two dozen companies, while U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer pushed for a group closer to half that size.

AeroTime

Sean Stein, president of the US-China Business Council representing more than 270 companies, said, “The president is ‘wheels up’ in about a week. And a week out from the visit … there are still CEOs waiting to find out if they will be part of the president’s trip.”

A White House spokesperson, Kush Desai, stressed there is “no daylight between the president and senior officials on planning for the trip,” saying the administration is aligned on making the visit “historic and productive.”

Politico also described the wrangling over the delegation as part of a balancing act between Trump’s desire to tout high-dollar investment deals and a widening Washington consensus that Chinese investment is a threat to national security.

Beyond the delegation itself, multiple outlets tied the trip to expectations of deals, including a possible Chinese order for 500 Boeing 737 MAX jets and dozens of widebody jets discussed as part of prolonged Boeing-China negotiations.

“According to an article, the Trump administration would have invited the chief executives of Nvidia and Boeing to travel to China, information provided by Reuters, May 8, 2026 at 00:59”

Boursorama

Reuters reporting cited by WNWN-FM | Other said Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told Reuters in April the company was counting on the Trump administration to help unlock a long-awaited major order from China, and that any announcement would be viewed as a major win for the leaders’ summit.

CNBC added that Ortberg said on an earnings call late last month that China could soon place an order for a “big number” of Boeing planes, breaking a yearslong drought for the company.

The trip’s commercial and technology context also included AI, with 9to5Mac noting that the trip will likely involve discussion around AI as the US and China weigh official talks “as their AI competition threatens to become the arms race of the digital era.”

In parallel, the stakes for Boeing were framed in terms of dependence on U.S.-Chinese relations, with CNBC quoting Ortberg saying any new deal Boeing with China is “100% dependent” on U.S.-Chinese relations, including the outcome of the Trump-Xi summit.