One Last Trip? Why Tim Cook is Joining Trump in Beijing

As expected, outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook has joined President Donald Trump and several other US executives on a trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Even though Cook is stepping down from the top spot at Apple in September, Mactrast notes that Trump personally invited Cook to accompany him.

This is the first visit of a sitting US president to China in nine years. The trip is expected to last from May 13–15.

While Cook reportedly did not travel with Trump on Air Force One, The Wall Street Journal reports that he was seen at the welcoming ceremony held by China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. There have also been videos posted on social media showing Cook walking alongside Elon Musk, and briefly greeting reporters.

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 Why Did Cook Make the Trip to China?

Cook’s rationale for joining the delegation is simple: when the President of the United States asks for a “plus one” to Beijing, you don’t say no. Not doing so could result in complications down the line for your company. Let’s face it, President Trump can be a bit vindictive when it comes to not getting his own way — although he certainly isn’t the first US President to act that way.

One of the few times Cook displeased Trump by refusing an invitation to accompany Trump on a trip resulted in a punitive tariff increase, so Cook is certain to have had that in mind when agreeing to tag along with Trump to China.

Over the last few years, there have been several examples of Cook bowing to Trump’s wishes. Cook has, at Trump’s request, dined with the Saudi Crown Prince at the White House, and dined with Trump himself in Tokyo. Cook has also presented a gold trophy to Trump, praised him at official dinners, and personally donated $1 million for Trump’s 2025 Presidential Inauguration. Apple as a company also donated to the fund to build the new White House ballroom.

That said, the White House’s official reason for the trip is to facilitate business deals between China and US companies. Subjects expected to be discussed during the group’s China summit include AI, exports, trade, and the US war with Iran — and it will definitely be in Apple’s best interests to participate in most of these talks.

In addition to Cook, Trump also brought the following US executives along for the ride:

• Larry Fink from BlackRock
• Stephen Schwarzman from Blackstone
• Kelly Ortberg from Boeing
• Brian Sikes from Cargill
• Jane Fraser from Citi
• Jim Anderson from Coherent
• Larry Culp from GE Aerospace
• David Solomon from Goldman Sachs
• Jacob Thaysen from Illumina
• Michael Miebach from Mastercard
• Dina Powell McCormick from Meta
• Sanjay Mehrotra from Micron
• Cristiano Amon from Qualcomm
• Ryan McInerney from Visa

Trump may also be looking to soothe hurt feelings among US executives, who have had their own little turf wars among themselves. Cook and Elon Musk have been involved in lawsuits over Grok, satellite connectivity, and 2021 reports that Musk was looking to replace Cook as Apple’s head honcho.

A Goldman Sachs executive is also on the trip. The final firm recently ended its relationship with Apple, which saw the two companies in constant strife over how the Apple Card credit card was managed. (JPMorgan Chase will take over management of the Apple Card sometime in the next 24 months).

China’s Xinhua news agency reports the country’s foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun has said that the local government is willing to work with the US “in the spirit of equality, respect, and mutual benefit.”