Trump set to invite Tim Cook and other CEOs to upcoming China trip

Source: 9to5Mac

A trip Cook may not want to skip

Who’s invited

Semafor reports that the Trump administration plans to invite Apple CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, among others, for a trip to China next week.
The list also includes CEOs from:

• Exxon
• Boeing
• Blackstone
• Citigroup
• Visa

The roster is expected to grow as more executives vie for an invitation.

AI focus

The trip will likely involve discussions around artificial intelligence. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. and China are weighing official talks “as their AI competition threatens to become the arms race of the digital era.”

Trump’s history with CEO delegations

Bringing CEOs on foreign trips has been a familiar part of Trump’s second term. Last year, his visits to the UK, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates also included meetings with business leaders.

Cook’s previous refusal and its fallout

When it comes to Apple, Tim Cook declined Trump’s invitation to join the UAE delegation, a decision that reportedly strained their relationship. During that trip, Trump called out Cook’s absence, telling Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in Riyadh: “Tim Cook isn’t here, but you are.” He later threatened a 25 % tariff on iPhones not made in the United States, which the New York Times reported was likely payback for Cook skipping the delegation.

What’s at stake

Whether Cook will accept the invitation this time remains uncertain. Apple is highly dependent on China, and declining could be read as a snub by both Washington and Beijing, especially as iPhone sales in the country have been rebounding. Apple has confirmed that Cook will remain involved in engaging with policymakers worldwide as executive chairman, so attending could also signal to both Trump and Xi that the company’s policy stance will not change after the CEO transition.