Trump Lands in Beijing with 17 CEOs as China’s AI Chip Exports Hit $31 Billion
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, bringing along 17 American CEOs including Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk, while new data shows China’s artificial-intelligence chip exports just doubled to $31 billion in a single month [147873][147912][147365][147234].
The summit, set for May 14-15, aims to calm tensions over trade, Taiwan, and technology that have pushed the two economies close to a full split [147907]. Trump’s delegation—smaller than his 2017 trip—focuses heavily on tech: the guest list includes leaders from Micron, Cisco, and Qualcomm, signaling AI and semiconductors as the top agenda items [147365][147234].
Behind the talks, China holds fresh leverage. Official data shows China’s exports of integrated circuits—the tiny chips powering AI systems—surged to $31.09 billion in April, double the same month last year [147531]. Analysts say the export boom gives Beijing “wind in its sails” as it negotiates with Trump [147531].
The two leaders face a fragile “October Truce” that paused some tariff fights but left core issues unsolved [147907]. On the table: trade imbalances, U.S. demands for intellectual property protection, and China’s support for Russia and Iran [147873][147912]. Taiwan also looms large, with both sides aware a misstep could ignite a broader crisis [147151][147912].
While the talks unfold, China is racing to break U.S. tech restrictions. Zhejiang province just announced a five-year plan to manufacture advanced 3-to-7-nanometer AI chips—a direct effort to counter what experts call a U.S. “chokehold” on semiconductor technology [51155]. Separately, Beijing’s new five-year plan for 2026-2030 targets AI and nuclear fusion as priorities to end foreign dependencies [95150].
The outcome of this summit won’t just shape U.S.-China relations—it will ripple through global supply chains and determine who leads the next wave of technology [147907][147425].