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When President Trump lands in Beijing this week, he\u2019ll be bringing with him the might of U.S. commerce. <\/p>\n
The U.S. and Chinese leaders meet after steadily escalating tensions over the past year\u2014including a tit-for-tat trade battle following the announcement of the White House\u2019s \u201cLiberation Day\u201d tariffs a little over a year ago.<\/p>\n
But it seems President Trump is keen to thaw tensions ahead of the meeting. Writing on Truth Social, a social media platform he owns, last night, the president said: \u201cI am very much looking forward to my trip to China, an amazing country, with a leader, President Xi, respected by all.\u201d He added that \u201cgreat things\u201d will happen for both countries.<\/p>\n
Trump has long insisted he has a \u201cgreat relationship\u201d with China\u2019s President Xi, though relations have been barbed in recent months. China accused the U.S. of \u201ctypical \u2026 double standards\u201d and insisted it was not afraid of a trade war after Trump threatened further tariffs in October. Meanwhile, Trump claimed China had \u201ctotally violated\u201d the terms of the agreement made after Liberation Day, quipping this may not be a surprise to some. <\/p>\n
The White House rhetoric that trade partners woukd \u201ceat\u201d the tariff increases (as opposed to U.S. consumers) hasn\u2019t quite worked in the case of China. The rival global superpower appears to simply have shifted its focus away from the U.S. According to trade figures released by the Chinese government for April, exports surged by 14.1% year on year.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s export growth isn\u2019t coming from the U.S., according to reports from The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC). The OEC wrote that in February 2026, year-on-year growth was primarily driven by increased demand from Hong Kong, Germany, and South Korea.<\/p>\n
This might mean Trump has a weaker hand in negotiations than in previous meetings, with Beijing now less reliant on the U.S. as a trading partner. <\/p>\n
Bringing out the big names<\/p>\n
Even if China has managed to sidestep Trump\u2019s foreign policy changes to some extent, the White House will be arriving on President Xi\u2019s doorstep with some of the globe\u2019s most notable names in tow.<\/p>\n
This morning, a White House official confirmed to Fortune that Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook had been invited to join the U.S. president at his meetings in China. Also in the line-up of invitees is BlackRock\u2019s\u00a0CEO\u00a0Larry Fink\u00a0and\u00a0Boeing\u00a0CEO\u00a0Kelly Ortberg.<\/p>\n
Also travelling to China with the delegation will be Goldman Sach\u2019s David Solomon, Blackstone\u2019s\u00a0Stephen Schwarzman,\u00a0Cargill\u2019s\u00a0Brian Sikes,\u00a0Citigroup\u2019s\u00a0Jane Fraser,\u00a0Coherent\u2019s\u00a0Jim Anderson,\u00a0GE Aerospace\u2019s\u00a0H. Lawrence Culp Jr., Illumina\u2019s\u00a0Jacob Thaysen,\u00a0Mastercard\u2019s\u00a0Michael Miebach,\u00a0Meta Platforms\u00a0executive Dina Powell McCormick,\u00a0MicronTechnology\u2019s\u00a0Sanjay Mehrotra, Qualcomm\u2019s Cristiano Amon and\u00a0Visa\u2019s\u00a0Ryan McInerney.<\/p>\n
Elon Musk\u2019s potential attendance would mark a return to the political circle from which he was ejected last year. Musk played a key role in President Trump\u2019s election campaign and was handed the keys to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) upon Trump\u2019s reelection.<\/p>\n
Musk paid the price for his involvement with the Trump team, with EV-maker Tesla targeted and boycotted by customers. Tensions reportedly continued to rise as Musk criticized of Trump\u2019s policies, while the White House threatened to terminate contracts with his businesses.<\/p>\n
The extent to which the rift is healed is unknown (the duo did attend the same event in Saudi Arabia in November), but Trump seemingly wants the star power of the richest man on the planet by his side in Beijing, and Musk may be willing to provide it.<\/p>\n
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#Trump #piles #charm #offensive #ahead #meeting #Chinas #XiMusk #Cook #invited<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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