U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on the evening of May 13 for a three-day state visit to China. He had with him a delegation of 17 major CEOs who are interested in investing in China. Trump was met at the airport by a Chinese military formation, a military band, and a group of Chinese students and American students studying in China. Trump was greeted at the airport by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party.
Trade and investment will be a major point of discussion in his discussions with President Xi Jinping, Trump had indicated before leaving the U.S. The two leaders will also discuss major international issues, including the issue of Taiwan as well as the conflict in Iran.There may also be discussion about Chinese investment in the U.S. Some at the White House have floated the idea of China and the U.S. setting up a joint board of investment or board of trade to maintain continuity on these issues. How far this will go is difficult to say, given the restrictions and difficulties Chinese firms have had in investing in the U.S.
Jensen Huang, the CEO of chips producer Nvidia, was initially not on the list of CEOs traveling with Trump. It is reported by the New York Times that Trump noted his absence, and called him with a personal invitation. Huang has been lobbying Washington to allow Nvidia to sell some of its more advanced semiconductors to China, arguing that if they can’t purchase them from Nvidia, China would eventually find a way of making them itself, thus becoming a competitor. Trump publicly praised Huang who, together with Elon Musk, Huang’s wife, and Trump’s son Eric, descended from the plane with Trump on their arrival in Beijing.