Group of top executives including Musk and Cook invited to join Trump on trip to China

Top executives from major U.S. tech, finance and industrial firms have been invited to join President Donald Trump on this week’s trip to China, according to a White House official. Trump departs today [Macau time] for Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping, with talks expected to focus on trade, artificial intelligence and Iran.

Among the invited executives is Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, whose relationship with Trump has fluctuated since leaving the Department of Government Efficiency in 2025. Musk, who maintains extensive business interests in China through Tesla, has recently refocused on his companies while facing legal scrutiny in France.

Tim Cook is also expected to join the delegation. Cook recently announced he will step down as Apple CEO in September after 15 years, remaining executive chairman.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who took over in 2024 amid the company’s regulatory and financial struggles, is also invited. Boeing continues negotiations with China over potential aircraft sales despite trade tensions.

Other executives include leaders from BlackRock, Blackstone, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Visa, Mastercard, Qualcomm, Micron, Meta, GE Aerospace and Cargill.