Why Trump Took America’s Top Tech CEOs to China

Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast
President Trump brought some of America’s biggest tech CEOs to Beijing for a summit with Xi Jinping. What does it mean for the race over AI power? Council on Foreign Relations’ Chris McGuire explains.
China Tech Bros Play Podcast
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About The Episode

President Trump brought some of America’s biggest tech leaders—including Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang—to Beijing for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Council on Foreign Relations’ Chris McGuire explains what the talks revealed about AI, export controls, and why the fight over advanced AI chips is becoming one of the most important national security issues facing the US. 

About the Speakers
Chris McGuire
Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Chris McGuire Bio
Chris McGuire is a senior fellow for China and emerging technologies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a leading expert in U.S.-China technology competition, export controls and other technology protection policies, artificial intelligence, and semiconductors. McGuire served as a career government official for over a decade, including as the deputy senior director for technology and national security at the National Security Council (NSC), where he served from 2022 to 2024.
Chris McGuire Bio
Leslie Vinjamuri
President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Leslie Vinjamuri headshot
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri joined the Council in 2025 as the president and chief executive officer, after previously serving as director of the US and the Americas program at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in London. She is Professor of Practice in International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University of London.
Leslie Vinjamuri headshot
Issues Tech and Science
Regions China
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