Trump Departs Washington for Beijing State Visit — Xi-Trump Summit (May 13–15) to Cover Iran War, Trade, Taiwan; Musk, Cook, Fink in Delegation

President Trump departed Washington on May 12, 2026 for Beijing, where his first state visit to China — the first US presidential visit in nearly nine years — begins May 13 and runs through May 15. The trip was originally scheduled for early April but was postponed due to the active US-Iran war. Trump is accompanied by one of the largest CEO delegations ever assembled for a foreign trip: Elon Musk (Tesla/SpaceX), Tim Cook (Apple), Larry Fink (BlackRock), Boeing executives, and Mastercard representatives, among others — underscoring the commercial dimension of the summit. The official itinerary includes a welcome ceremony, bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping on May 14, a visit to the Temple of Heaven, a state banquet, and a working lunch before departure on May 15. Key agenda items confirmed by US and Chinese officials: (1) The US-Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz reopening — both Washington and Beijing want the strait reopened as China depends on Persian Gulf energy imports and the US is suffering from $4.52/gallon gas; Trump is expected to press Xi to use China's economic leverage over Tehran to force a deal; (2) Extension of the US-China trade truce reached in late 2025, which rolled back export controls including rare earth restrictions vital for US defense, semiconductors, and consumer electronics; (3) Taiwan and Chinese military activity in the South China Sea; (4) The case of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai; and (5) AI governance. China confirmed the summit on May 11 via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. NPR noted the summit comes just one day after Trump rejected Iran's counter-proposal as 'TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!' — creating both urgency and diplomatic complexity for the Beijing talks.