China US Photo:VCG

The Donald Trump administration is inviting CEOs from Nvidia, Apple, Exxon, Boeing and other big companies to accompany the US president on his trip to China scheduled next week, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing a Semafor report. A Chinese expert noted that the move reflects a clear demand from US businesses to deepen engagement with the Chinese market and gain first-hand understanding of its current situation and future policy direction.

According to Reuters, executives from Qualcomm, Blackstone, Citigroup, and Visa are also on the invitation list. 

Reuters said it was not able to confirm the full list of companies invited, but a different source said several CEOs received invitations on Wednesday evening.

In an interview with CNBC's Jim Cramer, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said, "We should let the president announce whatever he decides to announce ... If invited, it would be a privilege, it would be a great honor to represent the United States," per Reuters.

Bloomberg on Thursday reported that Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser plan to be among the guests joining US president for his summit in China next week, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The White House, Apple, Citigroup, Exxon and Visa did not respond to requests for comment. Blackstone and ‌Boeing declined to comment, Reuters reported.

On Friday, in response to a foreign media question asking when the Chinese side will officially announce relevant information about the China-US presidential meeting, what expectations China has for this meeting, and what major topics the two sides will focus on, as US President Donald Trump recently said that the China-US leaders' meeting will be held as scheduled, Lin Jian, spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, told a press conference that China and the US maintain communication on President Trump's visit to China, and that he has no further information to provide at this time.

Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Friday that the reportedly list of US executives reflects a clear demand from US businesses to deepen engagement with the Chinese market.

"If the visit materializes, it would allow these American companies to directly understand the current Chinese market and future policy trends," Zhou said.

According to Reuters, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said in April the company was counting on the Trump administration to help unlock a long-awaited major order from China.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also repeatedly emphasized the importance of the Chinese market on multiple occasions. On April 30, he said "Conceding an entire market the size of China probably doesn't make a lot of strategic sense" during an interview on an episode of the Special Competitive Studies Project's Memos to the President, according to Yahoo Finance.

For many US companies, China remains a crucial and highly attractive destination. Even amid challenges and frictions in China-US economic and trade relations caused by the US unilateral moves, the demand for business cooperation and the underlying market forces remain strong and clear, Zhou noted.

The reported list shows the invited enterprises span key sectors such as technology, high-end manufacturing, energy, aviation, and finance. Gao Lingyun, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday that it will enable the establishment of broader business connections between the two countries. 

"This will not only include communication with Chinese government regulatory authorities, but also strengthen exchanges and collaboration with Chinese enterprises. Moreover, the US business delegation will be able to conduct on-site assessments of the current state of the Chinese market and the evolving trends of China's policy environment, thereby gaining a deeper and more comprehensive understanding," Zhou noted.

"This also reflects the essential characteristics of China-US economic and trade cooperation — mutual benefit, win-win outcomes, and market-driven principles," Gao said, urging the US government to provide a fair environment and a positive atmosphere for communication and exchanges between the two sides.