Washington ExaminerMay 11, 20263 min read

Who are the tech executives flying to China with Trump for state visit?

The article centers corporate and government perspectives, listing executives and their business interests without critical scrutiny of the delegation's conflicts of interest or geopolitical implications. Language is factual and largely neutral, though framing choices—such as leading with 'crucial summit' and business leaders' favorable positioning—subtly favor the administration's narrative. Notable omissions include labor or civil society concerns about manufacturing practices, human rights, or genuine analysis of why corporate leaders hold such influence in diplomatic missions.

Primary voices: elected official, corporate or institutional spokesperson

This article does not address labor or human rights concerns related to manufacturing practices in China or the executives' companies
This article does not examine potential conflicts of interest or influence of corporate donations on diplomatic outcomes
This article does not provide perspective from civil society, labor organizations, or foreign policy analysts critical of corporate involvement in state diplomacy
This article does not discuss the geopolitical implications of this delegation composition beyond trade

Framing may shift depending on outcomes of the summit, China's aircraft orders, or future corporate controversies involving delegation members.

Government-sourcedCorporate-sourcedEstablishment framing

President Donald Trump will travel to China for a crucial summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week and is bringing a slew of top business leaders with him.

The summit will begin May 14, and the two leaders are expected to discuss the Iran war, Taiwan, and trade, among other topics. The meeting was originally scheduled for April but was delayed after the Iran war broke out.

Joining the U.S. delegation to Beijing are some of the top CEOs in finance and technology, such as Tim Cook of Apple and Elon Musk of Tesla. The delegation comes as the world’s largest economies balance business and national security interests.

The CEOs on the delegation are as follows: Cook, Musk, Larry Fink of BlackRock, Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone, Kelly Ortberg of Boeing, Brian Sikes of Cargill, Jane Fraser of Citi, Jim Anderson of Coherent, Larry Culp of GE Aerospace, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, Jacob Thaysen of Illumina, Michael Miebach of Mastercard, Dina Powell McCormick of Meta, Sanjay Mehrotra of Micron, Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm, and Ryan McInerney of Visa.

Elon Musk

Musk’s xAI is embroiled in multiple lawsuits, such as the company’s use of gas-powered turbines to power its data centers and a suit that alleged the chatbot, Grok, was used to produce nonconsensual sexual images.

France originally launched an investigation earlier this year into Musk and his social media platform over allegations that X’s algorithm affected the country’s politics. In early May, it announced it was expanding the investigation to include the dissemination of sexually explicit deepfake images.

In 2024, Musk was the single largest donor to Trump’s campaign. Last year, Musk, the former leader of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, had a public falling out with Trump over government spending, though their relationship appears to have warmed since, with the China trip the latest sign. Musk’s companies include Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI.

Tim Cook

Cook has been the CEO of tech giant Apple since 2011. The company has long relied on China for low-cost manufacturing, and the country is also a major market for Apple product sales.

In April, the company announced Cook would be stepping down from the helm of Apple to be replaced by John Ternus as its next CEO. The leadership transition will take place later this year, at which point Cook will reside as executive chairman of the board.

Cook and Trump have enjoyed a friendly relationship, with Cook donating over $1 million to Trump’s inauguration committee in January 2025. Cook was also present at the inauguration ceremony and regularly attends White House events. In one 2025 event, he announced a $100 billion investment in the United States and presented Trump with an engraved glass and 24-karat gold plaque.

Larry Fink

Fink is the CEO of the world’s largest asset management company and has warned about the impact of the Iran war on the global economy in recent weeks.

Last year, the top financier was able to win over the White House by acquiring ports in the Panama Canal from a Hong Kong-based company. Trump has long seen the ports and canal as strategic to the U.S.

The company also made large donations to Trump’s inauguration, and Fink has been called into meetings with top Trump administration advisers.

Kelly Ortberg

Ortberg has indicated that Boeing is positioned for a large aircraft order from China after years of low sales from the country following two deadly crashes involving 737 Max 8 jets between 2018 and 2019.

In March, China was set to order 500 Boeing jets, but the announcement was delayed after Trump and Xi pushed back their summit amid the Iran war.

Dina Powell McCormick

McCormick was named president and vice chairwoman of Meta earlier this year, and the GOP celebrated the announcement.

McCormick is a former Trump administration official who helped with negotiations that led to the Abraham Accords, a series of peace treaties brokered by the U.S. that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations.