WASHINGTON – Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook are among more than a dozen business executives who will accompany President Donald Trump this week on his trip to China as part of the U.S. delegation, according to a White House official.
Trump is set to depart on May 12 for Beijing, making what will be the first trip to China from a U.S. president since Trump's 2017 visit. The trip includes a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping following a yearlong trade war between the world's two largest economies and as global oil markets roil amid the Iran war.
Musk had a much-publicized falling out with Trump after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO ended his work leading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, which worked to cut government agencies and lay off workers.
More: Elon Musk quietly returns to White House as feud with Trump fades
But the two men have since mended fences. Musk, the world's richest man, last November visited the White House as one of Trump's guests for a dinner with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. Musk also took part in a discussion on advances in artificial intelligence and technology at a U.S.-Saudi Arabia investment forum in Washington that Trump attended.
