US President Donald Trump brought a delegation of 17 CEOs of the largest American companies to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit is seen as an effort to ease trade tensions as well as reopen cooperation in the technology, finance, aerospace and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors.
This time's delegation is considered extraordinary because it brings together corporate figures who control a large part of the world economy, including companies with a value of trillions of dollars and great influence on the global supply chain.
Intraday Label
Technology and AI Sector
Apple — Tim Cook
Tim Cook leads Apple, which is heavily dependent on China as the production center for its iPhone and electronic products. The majority of Apple's supply chain still operates in China even though the company is trying to expand production to India and Vietnam.
Under Tim Cook, Apple's value has soared past US$3 trillion, making him one of the most successful CEOs in the history of world technology companies.
Nvidia — Jensen Huang
Jensen Huang has become one of the names that has attracted the most attention because Nvidia is now in the midst of a global AI boom. Nvidia's AI chips are used in the development of data centers, AI models and supercomputers around the world.
Huang's presence in Beijing is considered significant because the United States has previously tightened its restrictions on exports of high-performance AI chips to China.
Qualcomm — Cristiano Amon
Cristiano Amon represents Qualcomm, which has close ties to Chinese smartphone makers such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo.
China remains one of Qualcomm's most important markets, as most of the world's major Android manufacturers are based in the country.
Micron Technology — Sanjay Mehrotra
Sanjay Mehrotra attended despite Micron Technology having faced sanctions and cybersecurity investigations by China in the past.
Micron is one of the world's largest memory chip manufacturers, supplying components to the electronics and data center industries.
Cisco — Chuck Robbins
Chuck Robbins leads Cisco, which is known for its global internet networking and infrastructure sector.
China was once a key market for Cisco before technological tensions between Washington and Beijing escalated.
Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms also had a representative in the delegation, despite platforms such as Facebook and Instagram being blocked in China for a long time.
Meta's presence shows that the American technology company still wants to maintain strategic ties with Beijing in the AI and digital advertising sectors.
EV and Automotive Sector
Tesla — Elon Musk
Elon Musk was present with Tesla, which owns the company's largest EV factory in Shanghai.
China is the world's largest EV market and a major contributor to Tesla's profits. Musk's good relations with Beijing also make him one of the most accepted American corporate figures in China.
Finance and Digital Payments Sector
BlackRock — Larry Fink
Larry Fink leads BlackRock, which manages more than US$10 trillion in assets.
BlackRock has previously aggressively expanded its fund management operations in China after Beijing opened wider access to foreign financial firms.
JPMorgan Chase — Jamie Dimon
Jamie Dimon represents JPMorgan Chase, which became the first American bank to acquire full ownership of a securities operation in China. Dimon is also known as one of the most influential figures on Wall Street.
Goldman Sachs — David Solomon
David Solomon was present to represent Goldman Sachs, which is active in Chinese investments and capital markets.
Citigroup — Jane Fraser
Jane Fraser leads Citigroup and becomes the first woman to lead a major Wall Street bank. China remains a key market for Citigroup's international banking operations.
Mastercard — Michael Miebach
Michael Miebach is here with Mastercard, which is expanding its digital payments system in Asia.
Visa — Ryan McInerney
Ryan McInerney is also part of a delegation representing Visa, which is trying to expand global payments access in China.
Aerospace and Aviation
Boeing — Kelly Ortberg
Kelly Ortberg leads Boeing, which has previously relied heavily on aircraft orders from China.
The market sees the visit as a potential opportunity for Chinese airlines to reopen Boeing aircraft purchases after years of trade tensions.
GE Aerospace — Larry Culp
Larry Culp is here to represent GE Aerospace, which supplies aircraft engines to Boeing and Airbus.
Food and Industry Sector
Cargill — Brian Sikes
Brian Sikes leads Cargill, which has extensive ties to the global food and commodity trade. China is one of the world's largest importers of grains and food, making relationships with companies like Cargill very important.
Coherent — Jim Anderson
Jim Anderson was present representing Coherent, which is involved in laser technology and semiconductor materials.
Illumina — Jacob Thaysen
Jacob Thaysen leads Illumina, which is known for genomics and DNA analysis technology. China has previously been one of the company's important markets for biotechnology and health technologies.
The visit gives an impression that US-China relations are now increasingly focused on the struggle for technology, AI, semiconductors and global economic influence. The value of the combined companies brought by Trump is estimated to reach trillions of dollars and involves most of the strategic sectors of the world today.
