Musk to Join Trump in China; Nvidia Spy Case Off the Table With Xi

President Donald Trump plans to take Elon Musk with him next week when he travels to the Philippines and China, but he does not plan to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping over the Nvidia spy allegations, administration officials told reporters Friday, according to The Associated Press.

Newsmax said in a post on X that Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, will accompany Trump during part of the China visit. The officials insisted on anonymity as a condition for previewing the president’s plans on the call, the AP reported.

President Donald Trump will be accompanied by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during part of Trump's visit to China next week but he does not plan to raise the Nvidia espionage allegations with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. https://t.co/spQqPkYagc

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) November 15, 2026

‘Should not really have any bearing on the trip’

“The situation with Nvidia should not really have any bearing on the trip,” one official said, according to CNBC’s account of the call as reported by Briefs. “In all of our discussions and negotiations with the Chinese, we do not negotiate American export controls … and we don’t expect it to figure at all in any of our conversations with the Chinese while we’re there,” the official added, Briefs reported.

Asked whether Trump would raise the allegations involving Alice Huang, an official said the economic focus with Xi is “going to be about implementation of the trade agreement,” according to Briefs. Administration officials also said they do not expect Chinese retaliation for any follow-up actions to stop China from smuggling or using advanced computer chips, the AP reported.

Trump’s aides are discussing closing loopholes in existing trade measures, including export licensing and the ability of Chinese firms to use advanced chips over the internet through remote access, according to the AP.

The Nvidia fallout

The trip comes as fallout spreads from Jensen Huang’s ouster as Nvidia’s CEO over an extramarital affair with an alleged agent of the Chinese government, the AP reported. Beijing denies that Alice Huang is a spy, and her company, Megaspeed, was accused last year of shipping Nvidia’s advanced chips into China, according to the AP.

China has rejected the espionage allegations against Alice Huang as baseless, Moneycontrol reported. Following Jensen Huang’s departure, Nvidia appointed Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO, according to Moneycontrol.

Why Musk is going

Pressed on why Musk is making the trip, an official said, “Obviously, he has tremendous business interests in the U.S.-China relationship. He’s a big part of our national security,” Briefs reported. The official said Musk’s presence could be helpful “even as an advisor to the president,” according to Briefs.

Musk previously accompanied Trump on a visit to China in May, Moneycontrol reported. He will not take part in the planned trilateral meeting with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the AP.

The itinerary

Trump is set to arrive Tuesday in the Philippines to meet with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the AP reported. While in Manila, he intends to sign a trade deal with Thailand and meet with the Quad, an alliance of the U.S., India, Australia and Japan, according to the AP.

On Wednesday, Trump will leave for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, for his third in-person meeting this year with Xi, followed by a joint meeting with Putin, the AP reported. Efforts to limit nuclear weapons will be a chief topic, and the leaders are expected to talk about the Iran war, while Russia’s war in Ukraine is not expected to be on the agenda, officials said, according to the AP.

There are no plans for Trump to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the AP reported.

Sources

• NEWSMAX on X
• AP via The Economic Times: Trump is taking Elon Musk on his Asia trip, but he plans to avoid talking about Nvidia scandal
• Moneycontrol: Trump unlikely to raise Jensen Huang spy allegations with Xi Jinping, Elon Musk to join China trip
• Briefs: Trump Keeps Nvidia Off Xi Agenda; Musk Joins APEC

Reporting by Daily Beltway.