Musk joins Trump for Asia trip while Nvidia dispute is set aside
Administration officials say the president will avoid raising the Nvidia scandal with Beijing, focusing instead on trade and nuclear limits with Xi and Putin.
By Grace Almasi ·
President Donald Trump will bring Elon Musk to the Philippines and China next week, a move that pairs the world’s wealthiest man with the American head of state during a high-stakes diplomatic tour.
Administration officials described Musk as a valuable adviser because of his roles at SpaceX and Tesla, which give him direct stakes in economic and national security policy. They spoke on a Friday call with reporters under the condition of anonymity to preview the trip's details.
The itinerary coincides with the fallout from Jensen Huang’s removal as Nvidia’s chief executive. Huang was ousted after an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, whom officials alleged was an agent of the Chinese government. Beijing has denied that Alice Huang is a spy, even though her company, Megaspeed, was accused last year of shipping Nvidia’s advanced computer chips into China.
Despite the controversy, Trump does not plan to confront President Xi Jinping about the matter. Officials said the administration does not expect Chinese retaliation for follow-up actions designed to stop China from smuggling or using advanced chips. The White House maintains that the U.S. does not negotiate its use of export controls with foreign countries. Aides are currently discussing closing loopholes in trade measures, such as adjusting export licensing rules and blocking Chinese firms from accessing advanced chips via remote internet connections.
The trip begins Tuesday with Trump’s arrival in the Philippines to meet leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. While in Manila, he intends to sign a trade deal with Thailand and meet with the Quad alliance, which includes the U.S., India, Australia, and Japan.
On Wednesday, Trump will travel to Shenzhen, China, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. There, he will hold his third in-person meeting this year with Xi. The two leaders will then join Russian President Vladimir Putin for a historic trilateral meeting. Nuclear arms limitation efforts will be the primary topic of that discussion.
Leaders are expected to address the war in Iran, but the conflict in Ukraine is not expected to appear on the agenda. Musk, whose Starlink system has supported Ukraine’s defense efforts, will not participate in the trilateral session. Trump has no plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during this trip.
