Elon Musk and other powerful executives who accompanied President Trump to China are hoping to clear roadblocks put up by Beijing.

A few seconds of selfie awkwardness between Elon Musk and Lei Jun, a prominent Chinese entrepreneur, has spread like wildfire on China’s social media.

After several years of dismissing A.I. safety as doomer fear-mongering, parts of the Trump administration now seem ready to support regulation.

Mr. Musk is part of a delegation of business leaders to China, where his interests include Tesla’s electric vehicle factory and solar panels.

President Trump arrived in Beijing, ahead of his meeting with President Xi Jinping of China. Among those accompanying Mr. Trump were top administration officials and business leaders.