Musk, Rubio, Hegseth: Who Is Traveling With Trump to China?

Trump China trip: Musk, Rubio join president on Beijing delegation

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump will bring Elon Musk, Senator Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to Beijing next week for trade and security talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The White House confirmed the three men Thursday night, ending speculation about who would accompany Trump on his first China visit since returning to office.

Musk’s inclusion signals Tesla’s growing manufacturing footprint in Shanghai, while Rubio’s presence reflects Republican pressure to maintain a hard line on technology transfers. Hegseth’s role centers on Taiwan Strait tensions and potential military hotline restoration.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the delegation represented “the best American minds on money, muscle, and microchips.” He added the group would stay three days, longer than his previous 2017 stopover.

Musk skipped Trump’s first-term China trips. His change of heart follows Tesla’s announcement last month of a $2 billion expansion of its Shanghai gigafactory, now the company’s largest production hub by volume.

“Electric vehicles are the gateway drug to deeper supply-chain integration,” said Dexter Roberts, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. “Having Musk in the room lets Trump claim jobs wins while Xi points to foreign investment.”

Rubio brings hawkish credentials forged during his 2023 chairmanship of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The Florida Republican co-sponsored legislation that widened export bans on advanced semiconductors to China, a bill the White House now eyes for tweaks.

“He’s there as the bad cop,” a senior administration official told GlobalBeat. “When Xi complains about tech sanctions, Rubio can look him in the eye and say Congress wrote them, not the president.”

Hegseth, confirmed last month after bruising Senate hearings, demanded a seat after Chinese jets buzzed a US reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea on May 4. Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough said the secretary wants “concrete de-confliction protocols, not more rhetoric.”

The Pentagon released cockpit video Thursday showing a Chinese J-11 fighter flying within 15 feet of the US aircraft. Hegseth called the maneuver “reckless” and said he would raise the incident directly with his Chinese counterpart.

Beijing responded frostily to the lineup. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China welcomed “rational dialogue” but warned against “bringing podium politics to the banquet table.” State-run tabloid Global Times labeled Musk “a walking sanctions violation” because Tesla suppliers remain on US export blacklists.

The trip agenda spans tariff reductions, fentanyl precursor chemicals, and AI safety guidelines, according to a briefing memo obtained by GlobalBeat. Trump hopes to announce a joint communique easing auto import quotas, a move opposed by Detroit automakers and the United Auto Workers union.

UAW president Shawn Fain blasted Musk’s inclusion. “The billionaire who busted unions in Fremont now advises our president on trade with Beijing,” Fain said in a statement. “American workers get sold out for Tesla stock gains.”

Financial markets shrugged off the controversy. Tesla shares rose 4.2% in after-hours trading following the announcement, while the Dow Jones index closed up 112 points. Analysts cited optimism that direct talks could delay planned tariff hikes on Chinese EVs set for July 1.

China’s ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, previewed Beijing’s asks during a speech at Georgetown University on Wednesday. He demanded revocation of licensing rules that hamper Huawei’s access to advanced chips and removal of Chinese medical equipment firms from a Defense Department blacklist.

“We seek respect, not charity,” Xie told students. “Respect means treating Chinese companies the same as Apple or Intel.”

Taiwan looms over every agenda item. Trump declined to say whether he would restate America’s long-standing “one China” policy, telling reporters “strategic ambiguity works until it doesn’t.” Hegseth aims to revive military hotlines Beijing severed after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in 2022.

Rubio signaled he could accept limited tariff relief if China cracks down on Mexican cartel fentanyl suppliers operating through Chinese chemical exporters. Overdose deaths in the United States topped 73,000 last year, a record high according to data released May 5 by the Centers for Disease Control.

“The chemical wolves of Wuhan feed the cartels of Sinaloa,” Rubio said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “If Xi wants market access, start by saving American lives.”

Environmental groups criticized Musk for allegedly soft-pedaling China’s coal-heavy energy grid. Greenpeace released a report Wednesday estimating Tesla’s Shanghai plant relied on 65% fossil-fuel electricity in 2025, up from 58% the prior year. Musk responded on X, claiming “all megacultures move at different transition speeds.”

The sun had set on the White House lawn when Trump previewed a lighter moment. He said Xi invited the entire delegation to a state dinner at the Great Hall of the People, where “the shark fin soup is off the menu, replaced by Idaho potatoes and Florida oranges.” Officials could not confirm whether the menu change reflected US pressure or local tastes.

Background

Trump’s first presidential term opened with tariff wars that placed duties on roughly $370 billion worth of Chinese goods. The Phase One agreement signed in January 2020 fell apart during the COVID-19 pandemic as both governments traded blame over virus origins. Bilateral trade volume sank 14% in 2025 to $589 billion, the lowest level since 2019, according to Chinese customs data.

Xi and Trump last met face-to-face at the November 2022 G-20 summit in Bali, while Trump remained a private citizen preparing his re-election campaign. Relations deteriorated further after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon traversed US airspace in February 2023, prompting Secretary of State Antony Blinken to postpone a planned Beijing trip. Trump now returns to a capital still angry over the incident, which Pentagon footage shared worldwide.

What’s Next

The delegation departs Joint Base Andrews on Monday night, arriving in Beijing Tuesday afternoon local time. Trump plans a ceremonial walk along the Great Wall before formal talks begin Wednesday morning. Both sides aim to release a joint statement by Friday noon, though officials cautioned an impasse over technology export controls could scuttle any accord.