Xi Jinping unlikely to attend Trump inauguration despite invitation

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 United States is expected to attend and other Beijing officials may also join him, sources told BBC US partner CBS News.

CBS was the first to report on the unusual invitation: Records indicate that no foreign leader has ever attended a presidential inauguration.

“This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not only allies but also our adversaries and competitors,” Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

Trump has at times praised Xi, but he has also harshly criticized 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 him or not.”

Several of Trump’s Cabinet picks, including Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz, are critical critics of the Chinese government.

The Chinese government imposed sanctions on Rubio and in 2020 banned him from entering the country.

Waltz has urged the US to urgently end conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East to “counter the greatest threat from the Chinese Communist Party.”

US intelligence agencies recently said China is behind the attack on eight major US telecommunications companies. Hackers may have accessed data on millions of Americans, according to the White House.

Since winning re-election last month, Trump has met with several foreign leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Argentine President Javier Milei and French President Emmanuel Macron, who invited Trump to Paris for the cathedral’s reopening. of Notre Dame.

Although it is common for diplomats and ambassadors to attend a president’s inauguration, according to U.S. State Department records dating back to 1874, a foreign leader has never attended the inauguration of a U.S. president.

Leavitt said other foreign leaders were also invited to the inauguration, which will be held in Washington DC on January 20, but he did not say which ones.

The BBC has contacted Chinese officials and Trump’s presidential transition team for comment.