Trump Brings 17 US Executives to China as Xi Meeting Tests 100%-Plus Tariff Truce
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 11
Trump Brings 17 US Executives to China as Xi Meeting Tests 100%-Plus Tariff Truce
9 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 11
17 US executives — including Elon Musk, Tim Cook and Larry Fink — are expected to join Trump’s official delegation to Beijing this week for talks with Xi Jinping.
The trip comes amid rising US-China economic and technology friction and will test a fragile trade truce after tit-for-tat tariffs that at times topped 100% were paused in October 2025.
The delegation spans tech, finance, manufacturing and agriculture, with executives from Meta, Boeing, Visa, JPMorgan, Cargill, Goldman Sachs, Cisco and others alongside Apple, Tesla and BlackRock.
Iran’s war has already delayed the Trump-Xi meeting, and Trump is expected to press China — a major buyer of Iranian oil — to help broker a Tehran-Washington agreement to end the conflict.
Beyond new deals, how will the U.S. counter China's strategic hold on critical mineral supply chains?
With Apple moving iPhone assembly to India, can American tech giants truly escape China's deep supply chain dominance?
Why does the US sell advanced AI chips to China while also aiming to contain its technological growth?
Trump-Xi May 2026 Summit: Navigating U.S.-China Rivalry, Business Risks, and Market Impact
Overview
The upcoming U.S.-China summit in May 2026 brings President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping together at a time when the relationship between the two countries is fragile but stable, marked more by a lack of open conflict than by real cooperation. President Trump will be accompanied by a prominent American business delegation, highlighting the importance of economic ties. However, both sides are approaching the summit with caution, as Chinese analysts expect U.S. policy could become more competitive in the future. The summit aims to manage tensions and maintain stability, even though expectations for major breakthroughs remain low.