Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook to head to China with Trump, per White House

Lead

US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Beijing this week for a state visit, accompanied by a delegation of more than a dozen American business leaders, including Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook, according to White House officials. The visit, the first by a US president to China since 2017, comes amid a simmering trade war and heightened tensions over tariffs, technology, and rare earths.

Coverage comparison

Multiple outlets confirmed the composition of the delegation. ABC Australia, citing a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity, reported that Musk and Cook would be joined by 15 other chief executive officers, including the heads of Boeing, GE Aerospace, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, and Visa. The BBC, also citing a White House official, listed 17 executives in total, including Meta's Dina Powell McCormick, BlackRock's Larry Fink, and executives from JP Morgan, Cargill, and others.

Al Jazeera framed the visit as a corporate diplomacy push, describing the delegation as "distinguished representatives from the American business community" who "all respect and value China," as quoted from China's Xinhua news agency. France 24 highlighted the agenda's focus on trade, technology, and rare earths, while The Guardian emphasized the tech companies' interests and noted that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang would not be joining the trip, a point also carried by South China Morning Post and TASS.

South China Morning Post provided extensive detail on individual executives' business objectives. One report noted that Musk was seeking to buy $2.9 billion worth of equipment for manufacturing solar panels from Chinese suppliers, a claim that appeared in a single outlet. Another report said Tesla was seeking clearance from Chinese regulators to expand adoption of its Full Self-Driving assistance system. Nvidia's Jensen Huang was hoping to unlock stalled efforts to sell the company's H200 chips in China, according to the same outlet.

Dawn, in two separate articles, focused on Musk's personal interests and the broader business delegation's meetings with Chinese regulators. One piece described Musk as "the object of love — and occasional loathing" in China, noting that SpaceX's Starlink satellite unit has raised concerns within the People's Liberation Army.

The Hindu, like ABC Australia and the BBC, centered its report on trade and economic issues, noting that Trump and Xi Jinping agreed in October to a one-year truce in a trade war that saw tariffs on many goods exceed 100 percent.

Key claims

• Trump is visiting China this week, with his trip running from Wednesday to Friday, as reported by ABC Australia, Al Jazeera, the BBC, Dawn, France 24, The Guardian, South China Morning Post, TASS, and The Hindu.
• More than a dozen US executives, including Elon Musk and Tim Cook, are accompanying Trump, according to White House officials cited by ABC Australia, the BBC, and The Hindu. The exact number varies: 15 other CEOs per ABC Australia and The Hindu, 17 total per the BBC.
• The delegation includes executives from key industries such as aviation, technology, banking, and social media, as reported by South China Morning Post, the BBC, and others.
• Elon Musk is seeking to buy $2.9 billion worth of equipment for manufacturing solar panels from Chinese suppliers, a claim carried by a single outlet, South China Morning Post.
• Tesla is seeking clearance from Chinese regulators to expand adoption of its Full Self-Driving assistance system, also reported by South China Morning Post.
• Nvidia's Jensen Huang is hoping to unlock stalled efforts to sell the company's H200 chips in China, according to South China Morning Post. However, multiple outlets, including The Guardian and another South China Morning Post report, noted Huang was not on the delegation list released by the White House.
• Boeing is looking to do business with China, amid ongoing talks about a possible large aircraft sale, as reported by ABC Australia and South China Morning Post.
• Trump is pushing for a commitment from China to open its economy to American firms, a claim reported by South China Morning Post, which quoted Trump's social media post: "I will be asking President Xi, a leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic."
• The business executives accompanying Trump have a combined personal net worth of over $1 trillion, according to South China Morning Post, citing data from Forbes and SEC filings compiled by Quiver Quantitative.