Beijing, China. President Donald Trump added Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to his delegation en route to a Beijing summit with China’s Xi Jinping, as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held preparatory talks with Chinese officials in South Korea.
Trip to Beijing amid trade focus and domestic political pressures
Trump, whose public approval ratings have been affected by the Iran war, is making his first visit to China in nearly a decade with the stated aim of striking deals on farm goods and airplanes and maintaining a fragile trade war truce between the two countries.
Business delegation and Nvidia’s chip sales issues
The CEOs accompanying Trump are drawn mainly from companies seeking to resolve business issues with China, including Nvidia, which U.S. officials say has struggled to obtain regulatory permission to sell its H200 artificial intelligence chips in China.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he would ask Xi to “open up” China so the delegation could do business, and confirmed that Huang was part of the group. Trump said this would be his first request.
A source familiar with the matter said Trump asked Huang at the last minute to join the trip, and Huang was not included on an initial list of traveling executives provided by the White House earlier this week.
Travel details and summit agenda
Huang was seen boarding Air Force One during a refuelling stop in Alaska. Trump is due to arrive in Beijing late Wednesday ahead of meetings with Xi that include a banquet and a tour of the UNESCO heritage site Temple of Heaven.
Beyond trade, the talks are expected to cover issues including the Iran war, nuclear weapons, and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
Iran war and expectations for China’s role
Trump is widely expected to urge China to persuade Tehran to reach a deal with Washington to end the conflict, though he said on Tuesday he did not think he would need China’s help.
Bessent’s preparatory talks in South Korea
As Trump prepared for the Beijing meetings, Bessent began talks on economic and trade matters with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng at South Korea’s Incheon airport on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
What issues will you be watching most closely in the Trump-Xi meetings?
