Last Minute Addition! Jensen Huang Joins Trump's Delegation to China

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined President Trump's delegation to China at the "last minute," a sudden change that triggered an immediate market response and heightened global attention on the course of the US-China technology and trade negotiations.

According to media reports on the 13th, President Trump called Jensen Huang that morning to invite him to join the delegation, after which Huang immediately flew to Anchorage and boarded Air Force One during a scheduled stopover in Alaska. Nvidia issued a statement saying, "Jensen attended the summit at President Trump's invitation to support the United States and the objectives of the current administration."

After the news broke, Nvidia's share price rose as much as 2.3% in Blue Ocean after-hours trading.

Notably, Jensen Huang was not on the original list of 16 business representatives released by the White House on May 11. His last-minute addition, coming as the absence of Nvidia received widespread attention, brings the core issues of the US-China trade negotiations into the spotlight again.

Outside the List: From Absence to Boarding the Plane at the Last Minute

According to China Central Television's report on May 12, the White House announced on the 11th the list of business leaders to accompany President Trump on his visit to China.

The original list released by the White House included 16 business representatives spanning sectors such as technology, finance, aviation, and agriculture. The technology sector featured Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, as well as leaders from Qualcomm and Micron; the finance delegation included heads of Wall Street giants like Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Blackstone; Boeing and Cargill represented the aviation and agriculture sectors, respectively.

Jensen Huang's absence had previously sparked considerable media attention, with some outlets interpreting it as Nvidia being deliberately excluded. In response, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung explained that Huang's schedule had changed, "It just happened that way," adding that Huang himself was unaware that Trump had called him.

As recently as last Thursday, Jensen Huang had publicly expressed his willingness to join the delegation. In an interview with CNBC, he stated: "If invited, it would be an honor—it would be a huge privilege to represent the United States and visit China with President Trump."

Business Agenda: Delegation Composition Reflects Negotiation Focus

According to sources cited by the media, the executives accompanying President Trump all come from companies with significant exposure to the Chinese market, and the industries they represent are expected to form the core of this visit's business agenda.

The final composition of the delegation—especially the last-minute inclusion of Jensen Huang—further reinforces market expectations that this US-China summit will address substantive technology and trade topics.