Splash News Elon Musk accompanied Donald Trump to a high stakes summit in China earlier this month, and while much of the media attention fell on President Trump and Xi Jinping, many social media users fixated on one particular viral moment between Elon Musk and one of his rivals,

Elon Musk traveled to China with President Donald Trump, despite the trial over his lawsuit with OpenAI and a judge’s order that he remain ready to be recalled.

In mid-May 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump made a state visit to China with a number of tech CEOs.

Right-wing extremists celebrated Elon Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a speech Monday, although his intention wasn’t totally clear and some hate watchdogs are saying not to read too much into it.

The market’s relationship with China has become a balancing act investors can’t ignore. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) still depends on Chinese manufacturing. Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) desperately wants to break back into China to capitalize on demand for AI chips.

The visit was full of friendly overtures, orchestrated pageantry, business dealmaking, and headline-grabbing sideshows.

Elon Musk, Tim Cook and more than a dozen other top executives will join Trump's long-awaited summit with China's Xi Jingping this week.