"The President told me to do it": Huang Renxun Suddenly Boards Air Force One for Last-Minute Trip to China
"This is an excellent opportunity to build a better partnership." According to Chinese media reports, on May 14, NVIDIA CEO Huang Renxun responded in Beijing to external questions about why he suddenly boarded the U.S. presidential aircraft "Air Force One" at the last minute. He stated that President Trump personally instructed him to attend, as it was a golden opportunity.
On that day, Huang Renxun appeared alongside more than a dozen other American business leaders—including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple CEO Tim Cook—at the summit meeting between the heads of state of China and the United States. Notably, when the White House initially released the list of business figures accompanying Trump on his visit to China, the leader of the world’s most valuable tech company was not included.
On the evening of May 13 local time, the U.S. presidential plane "Air Force One" made a refueling stop in Anchorage, Alaska. At that moment, Huang Renxun, carrying a backpack and wearing his signature black leather jacket, joined the flight as a last-minute addition. According to Trump, after seeing extensive media coverage about Huang’s absence, he personally called Huang to invite him to join the China trip.
During the flight across the Pacific Ocean toward Beijing, Musk posted a brief message on social media stating, “Only me and Huang Renxun on board.”
Reports indicate that after the China-U.S. leaders’ summit on May 14, the mood among American business representatives was generally positive. Musk described the talks as “very smooth” and said “many good things are happening.” Cook first flashed a “V” sign to the camera, then gave a thumbs-up. Huang Renxun commented that the meeting went “very smoothly,” praising both national leaders as “outstanding.”
In fact, Huang Renxun has long emphasized the importance of visiting China. In July 2025, during the third Chain Expo held in Beijing, he pointed out that China operates one of the world’s most advanced supply chain systems. It is neither realistic nor necessary for the U.S. to produce all products independently. He acknowledged that the unexpected consequences and long-term impacts of excluding China from global operations are difficult to predict, but the outcomes would likely be far from favorable.
According to a survey released early in 2026 by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, the proportion of U.S. companies optimistic about growth in the Chinese market has significantly increased. Over 70% of surveyed firms said they do not consider relocating their operations out of China, while nearly 60% plan to increase investment in China.
Source: sputniknews
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1865219064380426/
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