Trump picks up Nvidia CEO, of Taiwanese origin, from Alaska in 'last-minute' addition to China mission

President Donald Trump said he would urge China's Xi Jinping to "open up" to US business ‌on his way to a summit in Beijing on Wednesday, adding Nvidia's Jensen Huang to a group of CEOs travelling with him when he stopped in Alaska en route.

Trump embarks ​on the first visit ⁠by a US president to China in nearly a decade eager to land some economic wins and prop up public approval ratings bruised by ‌his war with Iran.

As Trump prepared for the pomp-filled ‌occasion, his top trade negotiator Scott Bessent wrapped up talks with Chinese officials in South Korea aimed at maintaining a fragile trade deal between the world's top two economies struck last year.

The CEOs accompanying Trump are drawn mainly from companies seeking to resolve business issues with China, such as Nvidia, which has struggled to get regulatory permission to sell its powerful H200 artificial intelligence chips there.

"I will be asking President ‌Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to 'open up' China so that these brilliant people can work their magic," he said in post on Truth Social, referring to the CEO delegation.

"I will make that ⁠my very first request."

Trump asked Huang at the last minute to join the trip, said a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity, and he was spotted by White House reporters boarding Air Force One during a refuelling stop in Alaska.

Asked about Trump's post, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said Beijing stands ready to "expand cooperation, manage differences and inject more stability and certainty into the turbulent world".

Trump will arrive in the Chinese capital late on Wednesday for two days of meetings with Xi that will include a grand reception at The Great Hall of the People, a tour of Unesco heritage site Temple of Heaven and a state banquet.

Reuters