President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration, according to a CBS News report. CBS News senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs stated that Trump’s invitation is an effort to improve U.S. diplomacy with adversarial foreign governments through leader-to-leader relationships. The invitation is historically significant. No foreign heads of state or government have attended U.S. presidential inaugurations, making Xi’s attendance unprecedented.
Despite remarks critical of China and campaigning on improving U.S.-China trade policy, Trump has made efforts to maintain diplomatic relations with Xi. In April 2017, following his 2016 presidential election victory, he hosted Xi at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump is expected to carry over his trade policy positions from his first administration. He has announced plans to impose 10-percent tariffs on China in his second administration, stating on Truth Social:
I have had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States — But to no avail. Representatives of China told me that they would institute their maximum penalty, that of death, for any drug dealers caught doing this but, unfortunately, they never followed through, and drugs are pouring into our Country, mostly through Mexico, at levels never seen before. Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Earlier this week China’s Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng relayed a message from Xi saying he intends to work with Trump, stating in a post on X:
On China-US relations, President Xi stressed that:
🔸 China is willing to maintain dialogue, expand cooperation and manage differences with the US government and work for steady, sound and sustainable development of the relationship, and hopes that the US will work with China in the same direction.
🔸 Tariff war, trade war and tech war are against the trend of history and laws of economics, and they produce no winners.
🔸 China will stay focused on managing its own affairs well, and resolutely safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.
🔸 China’s determination to advance high-level opening up will not change.
