Some of the best-known American CEOs who traveled with President Donald Trump were seen leaving through the main entrance of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing as the two leaders began their summit, describing the morning of Thursday (14) so far as positive and productive.
When asked by reporters how the meetings had gone, , the billionaire entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX, responded: “Wonderful.” Asked what had been achieved, he said: “A lot of good things.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is expected to step down later this year, flashed a peace sign and then showed a thumbs up.
“The meetings went well,” said Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, as the CEOs walked down the stairs towards the waiting bus. “Mr. Xi and President Trump were amazing.”
Speaking to state broadcaster CCTV, Huang said he hopes Trump and Xi Jinping will take advantage of the good relationship they have during talks in Beijing to improve bilateral relations.
According to Chinese state media, Xi Jinping met with American executives during his summit with Trump.
“The door of China will only open wider and wider, and China welcomes the strengthening of mutually beneficial cooperation with the US,” Xi said, according to Xinhua news agency. “I believe that American companies will have even broader prospects in China.”
The group covers sectors ranging from aerospace to technology and banking.
In his opening speech, Trump told Xi: “We asked the top 30 in the world. They all said yes, and I didn’t want second or third place. I just wanted the top ones. And they’re here today to pay their respects to you and to China, and they look forward to negotiating and doing business, and that will be completely reciprocal on our part.”
Other executives who were in Beijing with Trump on Thursday include Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Citi CEO Jane Fraser, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, among others.
“For China, this is a distinction, a level of distinction. The president of the United States is not bringing in low-level people,” Katie Zacharia, a former spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, told CNN. “They’re bringing in the highest levels. And that matters in China. It matters for image. It matters for prestige.”
