Trump reveals very blunt demand he made of his Beijing entourage in first remarks to Xi on state visit

By JOE HUTCHISON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 06:49, 14 May 2026 | Updated: 06:51, 14 May 2026 President Trump told businesses he wanted 'only the top' execs to come with him on his state visit to Beijing in his first remarks to President Xi Jinping.  Speaking to the Chinese President inside the Great Hall of the People in the nation's capital Trump revealed he approached the top 30 companies in the world and asked them to send only their best.  He said: 'We have the greatest businessmen, the biggest and, I guess, the best in the world. We have amazing people, and they're all with me.  'Every single one of them. We asked the top 30 in the world. Every single one of them said yes.  'And I didn't want the second or the third in the company. I wanted only the top. And they're here today to pay respects to you and to China. 'They look forward to trade and doing business, and it's going to be totally reciprocal on our behalf.' Trump was flanked by Apple CEO Tim Cook, X and SpaceX boss Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang who all made the journey to China, Musk and Huang both traveled aboard Air Force One. The three were joined by Qualcomm boss Cristiano Amon, Kelly Ortberg of Boeing, Jane Fraser from Citi, and David Solomon from Goldman Sachs, amongst others. The two world leaders are seen here shaking hands inside the Great Hall of the People 1. Stephen Miller, 2.Jamieson Greer, 3.Tim Cook, 4.Pete Hegseth, 5.Scott Bessent, 6.Marco Rubio, 7.Jensen Huang, 8.Elon Musk,  9.Natalie Harp, 10.Cristiano Amon, 11. Brett Ratner, 12.Margo Martin and 13.Monica Crowley are all seen here Trump announced the business delegation would be coming with him in a post to his Truth Social.  In it, he said that he would be asking President Xi to 'open up China so that these brilliant people can work their magic'. He added: 'I promise, that when we are together, which will be in a matter of hours, I will make that my very first request.  'I have never seen or heard of any idea that would be more beneficial to our incredible Countries!' The two nations reached a trade truce last year that calmed each side's threats to impose steep tariffs on the other.  The White House said there have been ongoing discussions and mutual interest in extending it, it is unclear whether any announcement could come during the visit. Leaving the meeting inside the Great Hall of the People, Musk told reporters that what happened inside was 'wonderful' and featured 'many good things'. In a similar fashion, Huang said that: 'Mr. Xi and President Trump were incredible', as Tim Cook flashed the peace sign. Xi Jinping is seen here meeting with the group of American representatives alongside President Trump Leaving the meeting inside the Great Hall of the People, Musk told reporters that what happened inside was 'wonderful' As the two leaders took their seats opposite each other in the Great Hall of the People, Xi opened with a loaded reference to the so-called 'Thucydides Trap.' The phrase refers to the ancient Greek historian Thucydides' account of Athens and Sparta, and describes the danger of conflict when an established power feels threatened by a rising civilization. 'The world has come to a new crossroads. Can China and the US overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new paradigm?' Xi asked Trump across the table.  Trump, seemingly unfazed by the portentous framing, was effusive in return and praised the pageantry of his welcome.  He described it as 'an honor like few have ever seen before', and singling out the 'happy and beautiful' children for special praise. He told Xi: 'It's an honor to be with you, it's an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before.'  It is Trump's first face-to-face with Xi since the Iran war erupted on February 28.  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.