Washington: Top US business leaders, including Tesla chief Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook, are set to accompany President Donald Trump on his visit to China this week, according to a White House official.

Beijing has confirmed that Trump will visit from Wednesday to Friday, marking the first trip by a sitting US president to China since 2017. Chinese authorities also said they were willing to work with Washington to promote “greater stability” in bilateral relations.

The visit comes against a backdrop of ongoing tensions between the two countries over trade tariffs, the Iran conflict, and Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory. During the trip, Trump is expected to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with trade and broader economic issues set to dominate discussions.

In October, Trump and Xi agreed to a one-year truce in their prolonged trade dispute, which had previously seen tariffs on several goods rise above 100 per cent. The US administration has also been encouraging companies to increase manufacturing within the United States to reduce reliance on imports and boost domestic production.

However, many major American firms remain heavily dependent on Chinese supply chains, leaving them vulnerable to ongoing trade tensions. Washington has also restricted China’s access to advanced artificial intelligence chips produced by US companies.

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According to a White House official speaking anonymously, Musk and Cook will be joined by 15 other chief executives on the trip. The list includes leaders from Boeing, GE Aerospace, Citi, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard and Visa, as well as senior executives from Cisco, Meta, Micron and Qualcomm.

Musk, the world’s richest individual, had strongly supported Trump during his re-election campaign, contributing more than $280 million. Although the two later experienced a public disagreement last year, they have since appeared to reconcile, with Musk once again seen within White House circles.