China’s president will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony, but will send Vice President Han Zheng as a special representative, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
Published date – January 17, 2025, 8:01am
WASHINGTON: Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony, but will send Vice President Han Zheng as a special representative.
The decision was announced by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China on Friday, more than a month after President Trump extended an unusual invitation to Xi, and comes as the first head of state to make an official visit to the United States for the inauguration. Because there was no such thing, it was a break from tradition.
“We will strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relations, and find the right path for both countries to benefit. “We stand ready to work with the new U.S. government to achieve mutual cooperation,” a ministry spokesperson said in announcing the decision.
Other foreign leaders have also spoken out about being invited to Trump’s inauguration, including Argentina’s President Javier Millei and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The offices of Ecuadorian President Daniel Novoa and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña also announced that they had been invited and planned to attend.
Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center, said Xi’s actions mean “China is willing to ignore protocol and comply with President Trump’s wishes.” Ta.
“This shows that China is willing to discuss, negotiate and strive to reach an agreement,” Sun wrote. Mr. Han’s dispatch came amid intensifying tensions between the United States and China. Several of President Trump’s nominees to key Cabinet positions are known to be China hawks, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, his nominee for secretary of state.
