A delegation of senior Chinese officials is expected to attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in place of President Xi Jinping, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Trump personally extended an invitation to President Xi that was relayed through aides, multiple sources confirmed.
Asked on Fox News whether Xi would accept the invitation, incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt said his attendance was “to be determined.”
Some background: After Xi delivered a congratulatory message to Trump just days after the election, the two spoke by phone — a dialogue that Trump says has become regular.
“We’ve had communication as recently as this week,” Trump said of the Chinese leader in an interview with NBC News last week.
The Chinese president has sought to maintain a stable relationship with the United States — a goal outlined clearly ahead of a meeting with US President Joe Biden in Lima, Peru, last month.
“Make the wise choice,” Xi said in an apparent warning, through a translator. “Keep exploring the right way for two major countries to get along well with each other.”
Since then, Trump has threatened to slap new tariffs on Chinese goods imported into the United States, leading Xi to issue a more stern warning to the US: “No one wins a trade war.”
The bar for President Xi to travel to the United States remains high, largely reserved for multilateral summits and official state visits, where he can count on significant time with other world leaders.
The assignment of a senior delegation to Trump’s inauguration would be seen as an olive branch of sorts: Showing support for the incoming administration while reserving the principal’s visit for a China-focused occasion. Sources cautioned that, with six weeks until inauguration, plans could change
