Xi Jinping not expected to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony
Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to attend the US presidential inauguration in January despite an invitation from Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with the planning.
China’s ambassador to the US is expected to attend and other Beijing officials may join him, sources told the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
CBS first reported on the unusual invitation – records show no foreign leader has ever attended a presidential inauguration.
“This is an example of the open conversations President Trump is having with the leaders of countries that are not only our allies but also our adversaries and competitors,” Trump spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt told Fox News.
Trump has praised Xi many times but has also been a big critic of China. He has promised to sharply increase tariffs on imported Chinese goods when he takes office next month.
In October, Trump told podcaster Joe Rogan: “He controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist. I mean, he’s a brilliant guy, whether you like it or not.”
Many of Trump’s Cabinet picks, including Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, are sharp critics of the Chinese government.
The Chinese government has imposed sanctions on Rubio and banned him from entering the country in 2020.
Waltz urged the United States to immediately end the conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East “to counter the greater threat from the Chinese Communist Party.”
American intelligence agencies had recently said that China was behind hacking eight big American telecom companies. According to the White House, hackers may have accessed the data of millions of Americans.
Since winning re-election last month, Trump has met with a number of foreign leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Argentinian President Javier Milli and French President Emmanuel Macron, who invited Trump to Paris to reopen Notre Dame Cathedral. Was invited.
Although it is common for diplomats and ambassadors to attend presidential inaugurations, according to U.S. State Department records dating back to 1874, no foreign leader has ever attended a U.S. presidential inauguration.
Levitt said other foreign leaders have also been invited to the inauguration, which will be held Jan. 20 in Washington, DC, but he did not specify which leaders.
The BBC has contacted Chinese officials and the Trump presidential transition team for comment.
