President Donald Trump brought a high-powered delegation of approximately 16–17 top U.S. CEOs to Beijing during his May 14–15, 2026 state visit, aiming to strengthen trade ties and open doors for American businesses in China.

The delegation underscored the deep economic interdependence between the world’s two largest economies. Many executives traveled with clear, company-specific agendas shaped by years of trade tensions, regulatory barriers, and market access issues.

Here are the key CEOs and their primary interests:

• Elon Musk (Tesla/SpaceX): Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory is critical to its global production. Musk sought stability and expansion support for operations in China.
• Tim Cook (Apple): Nearly 90% of iPhones are assembled in China. Cook aimed to protect Apple’s vast supply chain and consumer market.
• Jensen Huang (Nvidia): A last-minute addition who joined Air Force One in Alaska. Nvidia wants to ease restrictions and boost sales of advanced AI chips in China.
• Larry Fink (BlackRock): Seeks greater access to China’s massive financial markets for its $10+ trillion in assets.
• David Solomon (Goldman Sachs): Focused on expanding investment banking and operations inside China.
• Jane Fraser (Citigroup): Pushed for lifting barriers to full banking activities in the Chinese market.
• Kelly Ortberg (Boeing): China has withheld major aircraft orders for years. Boeing is eager to restart large purchases.
• Brian Sikes (Cargill): America’s largest agricultural trader hopes to restore strong Chinese purchases of U.S. farm products.
• Michael Miebach (Mastercard) & Ryan McInerney (Visa): Both payment giants are largely shut out of China’s domestic market and seek entry to serve 1.4 billion consumers.
• Chuck Robbins (Cisco): Aims to reverse bans on Cisco equipment in Chinese government networks.
• Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron): Looking to lift previous Chinese bans on its memory chips.
• Cristiano Amon (Qualcomm): Relies heavily on Chinese smartphone manufacturers; wants to reduce trade war fallout.
• Larry Culp (GE Aerospace): Seeks renewed access to China’s energy and aviation sectors.
• Stephen Schwarzman (Blackstone): One of the largest foreign real estate investors in China, seeking political stability for existing assets.
• Dina Powell (Meta): Facebook and Instagram remain blocked in China. Meta wants to explore ways to engage its vast potential user base.

While each CEO had distinct commercial goals, the common thread was reliance on the Chinese market or supply chain. Observers noted that this dynamic gave China significant leverage during the talks. The visit produced positive optics and some commitments, but few immediate transformative deals.