Mr. Xi is said to have not accepted Mr. Trump’s invitation to Washington to attend the inauguration ceremony, but instead sent a high-level delegation from Beijing to the event.
CNN On December 12, citing two sources familiar with the matter, a delegation of high-ranking Chinese officials will attend the inauguration ceremony of US President-elect Donald Trump taking place on January 20, 2025 at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
Previously, future White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Mr. Trump had extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the inauguration ceremony. When asked whether Mr. Xi would accept the invitation, Leavitt said the issue “will be determined.” The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it had no information yet.
Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based research institute, said that Mr. Xi will not attend the inauguration to “avoid problems arising” related to the guest list. .
According to Sun, Taiwan’s representative in the US was invited to attend President Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony in 2021. China considers Taiwan a part of its territory and has repeatedly warned the US that this is a line of demarcation. red must not be crossed.
US President-elect Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Image: AFP
Sun also said that if Mr. Trump imposes tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese goods as soon as he takes office as threatened, Mr. Xi’s attendance at the US president’s inauguration will be even more “unacceptable to North Korea.” Terrible”.
China’s sending of a high-level delegation to Mr. Trump’s inauguration is considered an olive branch to show support for the new administration. However, sources stress that the event is still six weeks away and plans could change.
Ambassadors and diplomats are often invited to US presidential inaugurations, but State Department records from 1874 show that no foreign leader has ever attended such a ceremony.
US-China relations were tense during Mr. Trump’s first term due to the trade war, when Mr. Trump imposed tariffs on many products imported from China, causing Beijing to respond. Before the new term, Mr. Trump threatened to increase tariffs on goods from China again.