(TibetanReview.net, Dec12’24) –In an unprecedented move, US President-elect Donald Trump has invited his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month even though foreign heads of state do not attend the event. Still, according to the scmp.com Dec 12, Xi appeared unlikely to attend the event given diplomatic protocol and historical precedents.
There is no record of any Chinese heads of state joining a US presidential transition ceremony. Since becoming China’s paramount leader, Xi has never attended such events personally in foreign countries, instead sending a special representative or envoy, the report said.
Besides, it would generally take rounds of preparation for a Chinese president to visit the United States, a process that could span several months, the report noted.
The invitation to the Jan 20 inauguration in Washington occurred in early November, shortly after the Nov 5 presidential election, and it was not clear if it had been accepted, reported Reuters Dec 12, citing CBS news.
the report noted that Trump had said in an interview with NBC News conducted on Dec 6 that he “got along very well” with Xi and that they had “had communication as recently as this week.”
The report noted that it would be unprecedented for a leader of China, a top geopolitical rival, to attend a US presidential inauguration.
Xi’s presence at the inauguration would seem odd particularly in view of the fact that Trump has named numerous China hawks to key posts in his incoming administration, including Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state.
Trump himself has said he would impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods unless Beijing does more to stop trafficking of the highly addictive narcotic fentanyl. He also threatened tariffs in excess of 60% on Chinese goods while on the campaign trail, the report noted.
The report also said that in late November, China’s state media warned Trump that his pledge to slap additional tariffs on Chinese goods over fentanyl flows could drag the world’s top two economies into a mutually destructive tariff war.
A letter from Xi read by China’s US Ambassador Xie Feng to a US-China Business Council gala in Washington on Dec 11 was cited as saying Beijing was prepared to stay in communication with the US.
“We should choose dialogue over confrontation and win-win cooperation over zero-sum games,” Xi had said in the letter.
Also invited is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who shares a warm relationship with Trump and visited him at Mar-a-Lago this week. He is said to be “still considering” whether to attend, said a source familiar with his plans.
Trump’s invitation to foreign leaders is an unprecedented step – as US State Department records dating back to 1874 show that no foreign leader has attended a transfer-of-power ceremony, although ambassadors and other diplomats have typically been invited to attend the swearing-in ceremonies, noted news18.com Dec 12.