** Shares of Illumina ILMN.O rise 2% to $145.31

** More than one dozen CEOs and top executives, including Illumina CEO Jacob Thaysen, will join the U.S. delegation as President Donald Trump travels to China this week, a White House official said on Monday

** ILMN's China revenue peaked out at ~502 million in 2021 and has since declined to ~242 million in 2025

** Co has faced headwinds in the region after being placed on China's "unreliable entity list," followed by a March 2025 decision by the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) to ban exports of its sequencers into China

** However, MOFCOM said in November 2025 that it would lift the export ban, raising expectations of a recovery in the company's China business

** Evercore ISI says the U.S. delegation with Trump could hint at a potential easing of restrictions, including smoother processes for customers purchasing the company's sequencing instruments

** "We see this as an incremental positive development and not surprised to see the stock up today – if the ban were to be lifted, China could go from being a headwind to a tailwind" - brokerage

** Including session moves, stock up 10% YTD