* CEOs seek regulatory clarity, market access amid

strained US-China ties

* Boeing ( BA ) jet deal smaller than expected, Nvidia ( NVDA ) chip

breakthrough remains elusive

* Summit focused on goodwill, lacked deliverables by

design

By Laurie Chen and Casey Hall

BEIJING/SHANGHAI, May 15 (Reuters) - With red-carpet

treatment, selfies and culinary diplomacy, America's richest and

most powerful executives - from Tesla's Elon Musk to

Nvidia's ( NVDA ) Jensen Huang - sought to rekindle business

ties with China this week at a leadership summit in Beijing.

But as U.S. President Donald Trump flew out of Beijing on

Friday afternoon, there was little clarity on what the summit

delivered for the business delegation that was travelling with

the president.

The presence of a group 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.

Face-to-face meetings with Chinese officials and

policymakers are crucial for U.S. executives seeking to

understand and manage regulatory and policy hurdles, secure

deals and expand their footprint in the world's second-largest

economy.

Unlike the last U.S. presidential visit to Beijing early in

Trump's first term in 2017, which featured a larger CEO

delegation and deals and memorandums of understanding valued at

$250 billion, the aim of this visit was to generate political

goodwill, analysts said.

"Beijing never approaches a leadership summit of this sort

from a purely transactional perspective," said Feng Chucheng,

founder and partner at Hutong Research, a Beijing-based

strategic consultancy. "I wouldn't use the size of deals to

measure the outcome of the summit."

"Its top priority is to find a mutually agreed 'floor' for

the bilateral relationship and secure a set of guardrails to

avoid uncontrolled, unexpected escalation."

It remains to be seen whether the positive vibes will help

unleash regulatory approvals, market access and investment

opportunities, as firms face broader operational challenges in

China beyond commercial dealmaking.

Some executives plan to remain in China to continue meetings

with officials after Trump's departure and more deal

announcements could be revealed in the coming days.

What does appear to have been already agreed upon -

according to comments from Trump, though an official

announcement is pending - is the purchase of 200 Boeing ( BA )

jets.

While that would count as a concrete deliverable, it is less

than the 500 expected and below the 300 planes purchased during

the 2017 visit.

A breakthrough also remained elusive on China granting

permission for the sale of Nvidia's ( NVDA ) second-most powerful AI

chip, the H200, which has been cleared by the U.S. for sale to

some Chinese firms.

Asked repeatedly by Reuters about deals signed and progress

on the H200 chip impasse, Huang replied only on Friday: "I love

China, had a great time."

The Nvidia ( NVDA ) CEO was not initially included on a White House

list, but joined the trip later after Trump picked him up in

Alaska en route to Beijing, sparking hope that the trip could

yield results in its long-stalled efforts to sell the AI chip to

China.

Huang strolled through scenic areas of Beijing with his

entourage on Friday, stopping to watch buskers and visiting a

street-level bar he had frequented on a previous trip to the

capital.

"The summit has much more on positive atmospherics than

deliverables, or at least on what China will officially

acknowledge," said Han Shen Lin, the Shanghai-based China

country director at U.S. consultancy firm The Asia Group.

"Nonetheless, if Beijing doesn't give Trump enough 'wins' to

take home, the risk is that in his disappointment, Trump steps

back and lets his more hawkish administration drive the

bilateral relationship. This will undoubtedly take us on the

road to escalation."