Despite pledging a tougher stance on China, including raising tariffs and appointing China hawks to his Cabinet, US President-elect Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration on January 20, according to multiple sources speaking to CBS News. Trump reportedly sent the invitation to Xi in early November, shortly after his election win. However, it remains unclear whether Xi has accepted the invitation, and a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Trump’s invitation to foreign leaders marks an unprecedented move, as US State Department records dating back to 1874 reveal that no foreign leader has attended a presidential transfer-of-power ceremony. Traditionally, ambassadors and other diplomats are invited to the swearing-in events, but not heads of state.
Trump’s invitation to Xi Jinping is also a rare occurrence, considering China is a leading geopolitical rival of the United States. However, Trump recently stated in an interview that he had spoken with Xi and that they “got along very well.”
Despite this, Trump has been an outspoken critic of Xi’s government. His inner circle remains strongly critical of Beijing, and he has nominated several China hawks, such as Marco Rubio for Secretary of State and Mike Waltz for National Security Adviser, to key positions in his Cabinet.
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The President-elect has pledged to impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods unless Beijing takes action to curb the trafficking of fentanyl, a highly addictive narcotic. He also threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese imports by over 60% during his campaign. Additionally, the US has set a January 19 deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the app or face a potential ban in America.
At the end of last month, state-run Chinese media cautioned Trump that his promise to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods due to fentanyl trafficking could lead to a mutually destructive tariff war between the world’s two largest economies. However, China’s ambassador to the US recently stated that Xi hopes Beijing will maintain communication with the United States.
