Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined US President Donald Trump’s visit to China as a last-minute addition to the delegation on May 12, 2026. Trump called Huang that day after seeing media reports that he had initially been excluded from the trip, inviting him personally to join the visit[ s1,s2,s3,s9,s10,s11]. Huang boarded Air Force One during a stopover in Alaska on the same day to accompany Trump to China[ s9,s10,s11].
A Nvidia spokesperson said Huang was attending the summit “at the invitation of President Trump to support America and the administration’s goals” [1]. Huang’s presence highlights the importance of artificial intelligence and Nvidia’s advanced H200 chips in ongoing US-China trade talks. The administration has authorized the sales and shipments of these chips to China under conditions since January 2026, but regulatory barriers and delays persist[ s2,s9,s10].
The addition of Huang to the delegation underscored Nvidia’s strategic role as AI and technology sectors face scrutiny in bilateral relations. Nvidia’s shares rose 2.3% to 2.5% in trading after news of Huang joining the trip became public[ s5,s11].
Other top US tech executives traveled with Trump, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook, Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, and Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon[ s6,s9,s11]. Chinese AI companies also saw stock boosts, with MiniMax Group Inc. rising about 18% and Knowledge Atlas Technology (Zhipu) surging roughly 37% as Huang arrived[ s2].
Trump prepared to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on May 13, 2026, in Beijing for a high-stakes summit attended by several US business leaders[ s1,s3,s4,s6,s12]. Trump said he would ask Xi “to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic” and promised that making market access easier would be his “very first request” during their meeting[ s11].
The visit was viewed as a political opening to accelerate regulatory discussions affecting US technology firms operating in China[ s9,s10].
