Trump’s cadre of CEOs hunts for wins in China, from soybeans to semiconductors
Corporate leaders join this week’s state visit, with a diverse group eyeing market access and stability amid frictions
Beyond high-profile names like Apple’s Tim Cook, a number of lesser-known CEOs joining US President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week represent industries caught in the crossfire of the trade war, analysts said, and are expected to push for deeper engagement rather than risk becoming a “geopolitical football”.
Seventeen American CEOs have been invited in total, according to a list released by the White House on Monday – a smaller business delegation than in 2017, when 27 high-profile executives joined.
“These companies are looking for engagement, both with China and with the Trump administration,” said Kent Kedl, managing partner at Blue Ocean Advisors. “They all know that they’re in sectors with significant exposure to geopolitical tensions between the US and China, and that the future is very unpredictable.”
Dina Powell McCormick, president and vice-chair of Meta Platforms, Illumina CEO Jacob Thaysen and Coherent CEO Jim Anderson were also on the list. Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins was invited but would be unable to attend as the company’s earnings were released this week, a company spokesperson told the media.
“When you can be and have been used as a geopolitical football, you want to get as much insight into the players as possible, so ‘engagement’ is high on these companies’ list of motivations,” Kedl said.