President Donald Trump said Thursday that China is preparing to make massive investments tied to the American business leaders who joined him during meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
According to the New York Post, during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump claimed Chinese officials were eager to work with the executives who accompanied the US delegation during the high-profile summit.
“Those business people are here to make deals and to bring back jobs,” Trump said.
“China’s going to invest hundreds of billions of dollars with those people that were in that room today,” he added. “That’s why they came.”
The interview aired Thursday night after Trump spent more than two hours meeting with Xi inside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
Trump revealed that several major business leaders — including Elon Musk and Tim Cook — were not originally scheduled to attend the formal session with Chinese officials.
Instead, Trump said he made a last-minute decision to bring them into the room personally.
“I suggested that before we start the meeting, ‘I’d like to introduce them to you,’” Trump explained.
According to the president, the unexpected addition initially caught Chinese officials off guard because the executives were not listed on the official schedule.
“They were surprised, because it wasn’t, you know, it wasn’t scheduled,” Trump said.
Still, Trump said the atmosphere quickly shifted once the introductions began.
“China really had a good time,” he said. “Once they got used to the fact that we’re a little off schedule here.”
Trump added that Xi himself praised the move.
“Xi actually said that was very good. That was a good idea, but it was very different from what the schedule had,” the president recalled.
The business delegation included several high-profile American executives from the technology, finance, and manufacturing industries.
Trump said the executives “did fantastically well” during the discussions.
“It was really good,” he said.
The summit also touched heavily on tensions involving Iran and global trade routes.
Trump said Xi made clear that China wants the Strait of Hormuz to remain open, noting Beijing relies heavily on oil shipments moving through the strategic waterway.
“He’d like to see Hormuz Strait opened,” Trump said.
The president also claimed Xi assured him China would not provide military equipment to Iran.
“He said he’s not going to give military equipment, that’s a big statement,” Trump told Hannity.
According to Trump, Xi additionally offered to help ease tensions involving Iran.
“President Xi would like to see a deal made,” Trump said. “He did offer. He said, ‘If I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.’”
A White House summary of the summit stated that both the United States and China agreed Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon.”
During a state banquet honoring Trump, Xi stressed the importance of maintaining stable ties between the two global powers.
“We must make it work, and never mess it up,” Xi said of the US-China relationship.
The Chinese leader also referenced Trump’s political slogan while discussing future cooperation between the countries.
“Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand,” Xi said.
Trump and Xi were expected to continue talks during a later meeting at Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party and Xi’s primary official residence.
