Trump to bring CEOs to China seeking trade and Iran deal
The president will head a delegation including Musk and Cook with expectations of agreements on tariffs and Beijing's leverage over Tehran's oil exports.
May 11th 2026 · China
President Donald Trump will make a State visit to China from May 13 to 15, accompanied by a delegation of more than a dozen top executives including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook, Goldman Sachs' David Solomon, Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman, BlackRock's Larry Fink, Citigroup's Jane Fraser, and Meta's Dina Powell McCormick. The White House expects the visit to unlock a series of trade agreements and purchase contracts between the two countries, according to Bloomberg News citing an official source. The visit is expected to focus on pressing issues including the tariff truce signed in October that both sides would benefit from extending, the economic repercussions for Beijing of the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and Washington's sanctions on Chinese oil refineries processing Iranian petroleum. The United States is pushing for Xi Jinping to commit more heavily to forcing Vladimir Putin to sign a peace agreement with Ukraine, and to halt pressure on Japan, Taiwan, and other Asian allies of the United States. China's Communist regime needs relief from economic troubles worsened by energy shortages from the Middle East that have driven up imports of oil and gas. Beijing's significant influence over Tehran could prove decisive in convincing the ayatollahs to accept an agreement that would allow Trump to claim an unquestionable victory in his military offensive against Iran. In exchange, Xi could demand that the United States reduce its support for Taipei and potentially recognize the mainland's right to take control of the island in the not-too-distant future, a prospect that would significantly increase uncertainty in global production of advanced chips given Taiwan's near-monopoly position.