Elon Musk becomes instant viral hit in China after taking 360-degree tourist photo while posing with fellow tech billionaires during Trump state visit

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:58, 14 May 2026 | Updated: 09:58, 14 May 2026 Tech billionaire Elon Musk has become an instant viral hit in China after he was spotted taking a 360-degree tourist photo during Donald Trump's state visit.  Musk, 54, is one of over a dozen top US executives joining Trump on his visit to China this week.  He - along with Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Tim Cook of Apple, Larry Fink of BlackRock, as well as other executives from Meta, Visa, JP Morgan, Boeing, Cargill and more - is on the trip to woo China at a time of increasing rivalry between the two superpowers.  During a photo-op in Beijing on Thursday, Musk was placed in the middle of the crowd of top US business officials outside the city's Great Hall of the People.  But unlike the others, he was seen slowly spinning on the spot with his phone.  He appeared to be trying to get a 360-degree shot of his surroundings. The moment went viral on Chinese social media as users praised his enthusiasm. One social media user said: 'You have to admit, this is the most Elon Musk-esque way to visit one of China's iconic landmarks.' Another said: 'Nothing impresses Elon Musk more than China.'  During a photo-op in Beijing on Thursday, Musk was placed in the middle of the crowd of top US business officials outside the city's Great Hall of the Peopl He was seen slowly spinning on the spot with his phone A third pointed out that Elon appeared not to have 'a care in the world spinning around his phone, while [the] president of China is about to shake hands.' The viral moment came as Xi Jinping and Donald Trump started a crucial series of meetings in Beijing on Thursday in a US-China summit where stability in the relationship is the main goal of the two days of discussions. The White House and Chinese state media said the leaders concluded their meeting Thursday morning after about two hours. Trump is expected to leave just after midday Friday after a final private meeting with Xi. But few breakthroughs are expected on divisive issues ranging from the Iran war, trade, technology and Taiwan. Trump hopes to focus the summit talks on trade and deals for China to buy more agricultural products and passenger planes, setting up a board to address their differences and avoid a repeat of the trade war ignited last year after Trump's tariff hikes. In their closed-door meeting, Xi told Trump that if Taiwan is handled well, US-China relations 'will enjoy overall stability.' If not, the two countries risk 'clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy,' Xi said, according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. Trump in December authorized an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory. The US has not yet moved forward with delivery. The viral moment came as Xi Jinping (pictured, right) and Donald Trump (pictured, left) started a crucial series of meetings in Beijing on Thursday Musk, 54, is one of over a dozen top US executives joining Trump on his visit to China this week Donald Trump looks on next to, from bottom right, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, top right, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, top left, and others during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Thursday, May 14, 2026 Xi said China's door of opening to US business will only open wider, he told American corporate leaders who accompanied Trump.  The US president said the business leaders all respect and value China and he encourages them to expand cooperation with China, Xinhua reported. The war with Iran is also likely to be a key topic. Ahead of the meetings, Trump hoped China would use its considerable leverage to prod Iran to agree to US terms to end the two-month old war or reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz, but he has tempered those calls ahead of the summit. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.