14-15 May

Trump in China with US CEOs, Nvidia's Huang is also there: business matters more than propaganda

For the most eagerly awaited summit, the tycoon invites some of the biggest American companies, from Nvidia to Boeing to Apple

by Biagio Simonetta

8 May 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

It is undeniably one of the most anticipated summits in recent years. American Air Force One is scheduled to land in Beijing on 14 May.

Then, at least two days of meetings and talking points between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. A meeting in which the cards, even if you are a very good poker player, will have to be revealed in the end. Because the historical moment is complex, Hormuz is shaking every balance. And even if your name is Donald Trump, and the narrative that accompanies you is that of the man alone in command, there are tables where showing your muscles is useless. The Chinese one is one of them.

Perhaps this is why the US president would have thought (at least according to Semafor) of presenting himself in China in the company of the CEOs of the biggest American companies.

From Apple to Exxon Mobil, from Boeing to Nvidia, to Qualcomm, Blackstone, Citigroup and Visa.

The invitations are said to have gone out a few evenings ago. And the invitations are said to have arrived en masse, with Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, saying in an interview with Cnbc that representing the United States "would be a privilege".

The meeting comes at a very delicate stage. Since Trump's return to the White House, he has used an always rather aggressive communication towards China.

He brought it up for the fentanyl drama, accused it on several occasions of taking advantage of the US for decades, accumulating huge trade surpluses and contributing to American deindustrialisation. And it has imposed alternating tariffs.

The point is that from Beijing, in this year and a half, they have always struck back blow after blow. Responding to tariffs with more tariffs. And uncovering all the US fragility in some strategic sectors, such as rare earths.

Now the meeting. A meeting in which Trump wants at his side the CEOs of huge companies that have to do with China in some way. Starting with Apple, which is still significantly dependent on Chinese manufacturing.

Then Qualcomm, which continues to generate an important share of revenues from the smartphone sector in the Asian country.

All the way to Nvidia, whose chips have become a bone of contention between the two countries in the fight for leadership in artificial intelligence in recent years.

The presence of Exxon, Visa, Citigroup and Blackstone, on the other hand, shows that the journey is not only about technology and semiconductors, but also about energy, finance and investment.

While Boeing's has a different value. The Arlington, Virginia-based company could take advantage of the Trump administration's support to unblock a huge Chinese order that has been held up for years.

On the table would be about 500 Boeing 737 MAX, as well as dozens of widebody (wide-body, ndr) aircraft.

It would be the first major Chinese order for Boeing since 2017, if Beijing relents. For the American aerospace group, this would be a major achievement after complex years marked both by the 737 MAX crisis and the deterioration of trade relations between the US and China.

Trump, in short, wears his best clothes: those of a businessman, rather than a politician. And this move has already drawn a new narrative perimeter. Because for China it is the confirmation of a certainty. And that is that the country, despite strategic competition and chip tensions, remains central to big American companies.

It is hard to know what will happen in Beijing, but the Chinese government could use the trip to show economic openness and at the same time demonstrate that the US industrial system remains strongly interconnected with the Chinese economy. While Trump, will try to bring home as many results as possible to regain the confidence of the American electorate by playing the role of the great negotiator.

At the same time, however, the trip also highlights something that has become increasingly clear in recent years. And that is that the US, while seeking to reduce its strategic dependence on China, is still unable to separate itself from the Chinese market.

The presence of iconic companies in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and global finance shows how the economic bond between the two superpowers remains deep.

But also a return to factual reality. The one for which business and economics always come before propaganda.