BEIJING, May 16 (Reuters) - The chairman of China's

securities regulator and Beijing's party secretary held talks

with Citigroup ( C ) CEO Jane Fraser in China and discussed

enhancing cooperation in wealth management and cross-border

financing, state-backed media said on Saturday.

Fraser was part of a delegation accompanying U.S. President

Donald Trump on the first visit to China by an American

president since Trump's last visit in 2017.

The presence of some of the most powerful U.S. corporate

leaders - representing companies like Apple ( AAPL ), Meta

, Boeing ( BA ), Cargill and Goldman Sachs ( GS ) -

underscores the importance of the Chinese market, even as

political leaders navigate strained ties over trade, artificial

intelligence and broader geopolitical tensions.

"The summit served as a crucial window for attending U.S.

CEOs to reinforce corporate diplomacy and directly position

their strategic asks with top Chinese authorities," said Alfredo

Montufar-Helu, a Beijing-based managing director at Ankura China

Advisors.

Beijing Party Secretary Yin Li said China welcomed Citigroup ( C )

to expand its business further and help attract more

international companies and investment to the country, the

state-backed Beijing Youth Daily reported.

Wu Qing, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory

Commission (CSRC), also met Fraser, the regulatory body said.

The two exchanged views on issues including the global economic

and financial environment and the opening up of China's capital

markets.

Separately, the vice governor of the People's Bank of China

and the director of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange

met with David Solomon, chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs ( GS ), the

foreign exchange regulator said in a statement.

After leaving Beijing on Friday, Trump told reporters on

board Air Force One that China had agreed to buy 200 Boeing ( BA )

jets, with a potential for the order to rise to as many

as 750 planes. The orders, if finalised, would mark Boeing's ( BA )

first major Chinese deal in nearly a decade.