U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month, according to a report from CBS News citing multiple sources.
The invitation was reportedly sent in early November, shortly after the presidential election on November 5. However, it remains unclear whether Xi has accepted the offer. The Chinese embassy in Washington has not yet commented on the matter.
In an interview with NBC News last Friday, Trump stated that he had a positive relationship with Xi, mentioning they had communicated as recently as this week.
If Xi were to attend, it would mark an extraordinary moment, as no Chinese leader has ever participated in a U.S. presidential inauguration. The move comes amid heightened tensions between the two nations, as Trump has appointed several critics of China to significant roles in his incoming administration. Notably, Senator Marco Rubio has been tapped for secretary of state.
Trump has also promised to impose a 10% tariff on Chinese goods if Beijing fails to address the trafficking of fentanyl, a highly addictive drug. On the campaign trail, he had even suggested tariffs exceeding 60%. These proposals have prompted warnings from Chinese state media, cautioning that such actions could lead to a damaging trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng read a letter from Xi Jinping at a U.S.-China Business Council event in Washington. In the letter, Xi emphasized the importance of maintaining dialogue and fostering cooperation between the two nations.
“We should prioritize dialogue over confrontation and pursue mutual benefit rather than zero-sum games,” Xi wrote.
Ambassador Xie also stressed the need to maintain integrated supply chains between the two countries. However, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, in a prerecorded message, noted the ongoing challenges in U.S.-China relations, saying, “No amount of positive rhetoric can overshadow our significant differences.”
