Elon Musk is expected to join President Donald Trump on his trip to China for next week's APEC summit, while Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang's place on the delegation is now in doubt amid a controversy that has shaken the chipmaker and the wider tech industry.
The South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday that Musk, the head of Tesla and SpaceX, and Mastercard chief executive Michael Miebach are expected to travel with Trump's delegation to Shenzhen, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' meeting is set for November 18-19. Reuters also reported the SCMP account.
Huang had been in talks to join the delegation, but his participation is now uncertain, the report said, citing sources, after a controversy prompted Nvidia's board to investigate whether he was the target of a foreign intelligence operation.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at Stanford University in April 2026. Photo: Anderseidesvik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Board probe and a House briefing
Nvidia's board launched a probe on Sunday into whether Huang had been the target of a foreign intelligence effort, after a report alleged he had a close relationship with a Chinese businesswoman who passed information to Beijing. The allegations have not been established as findings, and Nvidia has said it has no reason to believe national security or company secrets were compromised.
The Republican chairs of three House committees have asked Huang to attend a closed-door briefing on November 18 about his interactions with the businesswoman. Huang has not said whether he will attend, and one source told the SCMP he was unlikely to join the Trump delegation given the scrutiny he faces.
Trump has so far defended the Nvidia chief. Asked on Sunday whether he would take Huang on the Asia trip, the president said: "I don't know, but I'd certainly take him." Trump has also said Huang told him he had not known that the woman at the centre of the allegations was a suspected Chinese spy.
Why Huang's seat matters
Huang's attendance carried particular weight because Nvidia has struggled to get regulatory permission to sell its powerful H200 AI chips in China, one of the world's largest markets for advanced processors. His presence alongside Trump could have given the company a direct channel to raise the issue with Chinese leaders.
All three executives — Musk, Miebach and Huang — accompanied Trump on his state visit to Beijing in May, underlining how central business leaders have become to the president's dealings with China.
Beijing declines to say if Xi will raise it
Asked on Tuesday whether Chinese President Xi Jinping would discuss the allegations involving Huang with Trump, China's foreign ministry did not answer directly. Spokesman Guo Jiakun said both sides were "in communication regarding arrangements for interactions between the two countries' heads of state within the year," and repeated Beijing's position that the "Chinese spy" allegation is "purely unsubstantiated and directed at smearing China."
Xi is expected to meet Trump at the APEC leaders' summit next week for their third in-person meeting this year. A separate APEC CEO summit involving business leaders is due to run from November 17 to 18.
Sources: Reuters; South China Morning Post; Associated Press.