President Donald Trump says Elon Musk will join his trip to the Philippines and China next week, while aides say he does not plan to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping over the Nvidia scandal.
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President Donald Trump plans to travel next week with Elon Musk, taking the head of SpaceX and Tesla to the Philippines and China.
Administration officials previewing the president’s plans on a Friday call with reporters said Musk’s economic and national security interests make him a valuable adviser.
The trip comes amid fallout from Nvidia’s ouster of CEO Jensen Huang after an extramarital affair involving an alleged agent of the Chinese government.
Beijing denies that Alice Huang is a spy. Her company Megaspeed was accused last year of shipping Nvidia’s advanced computer chips into China.
Officials said Trump does not plan to raise the matter directly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and they do not expect Chinese retaliation for any follow-up steps related to advanced chip smuggling or use.
The administration said it believes the Nvidia situation should not affect the trip because the United States does not make its use of export controls subject to negotiations with foreign countries.
Trump’s aides are discussing possible changes to existing trade measures, including tightening export licensing and limiting the ability of Chinese firms to use advanced chips via remote access over the internet.
The visit is set to end with a trilateral meeting between Xi and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, with efforts to limit nuclear weapons described by officials as a chief topic.
Officials said there are no plans for Trump to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose nuclear arsenal has been a concern for the United States and its allies.
Trump is set to arrive Tuesday in the Philippines to meet with counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
While in Manila, he intends to sign a trade deal with Thailand and meet with the Quad, an alliance of the United States, India, Australia and Japan.
On Wednesday, Trump will leave for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, where he is scheduled for his third in-person meeting this year with Xi.
After that, Trump and Xi will hold their joint meeting with Putin, with officials saying the Iran war is expected to be discussed and Russia’s war in Ukraine is not expected to be on the agenda.
Musk, whose Starlink system has been described in the briefing as integral to Ukraine’s ability to fight Russia’s invasion, will not be part of the trilateral meeting.
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