Trump invites Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration - CBS News

According to sources from the television channel, the invitation to Trump’s inauguration on January 20 in Washington was sent to Xi Jinping in early November. Since then, it was unclear whether the Chinese leader had accepted the invitation.

In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Trump said that he gets along very well with Xi Jinping and that they spoke earlier this week.

The presence of the Chinese leader at the inauguration would be unprecedented, as China is considered the main geopolitical rival of the US.

Chinese hawks and tariffs

Trump appointed several prominent China hawks to key positions in his new administration, including Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.

The newly elected president stated that he would impose an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods if Beijing does not do more to halt the trafficking of the addictive drug fentanyl. During his campaign, he also threatened to introduce tariffs on Chinese products of over 60%.

At the end of November, China's state media warned Trump that his promise to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods could drag the two largest economies in the world into a mutually destructive trade war.

On Wednesday, the Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng read a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping at a ceremonial meeting of the US-China Business Council in Washington, where the Chinese leader stated that Beijing is ready to maintain communication with the US.

Xi's letter emphasized the need to choose dialogue over confrontation and mutually beneficial cooperation instead of zero-sum games. It also urged that the two countries should not sever supply chains.

However, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, in a pre-recorded video message, stated that China sometimes attempts to sweeten the difficult and competitive relationship between the two nations.

Burns stated that no amount of cheerful talk could conceal their deep differences.

Participation of other leaders

In addition to the Chinese president, Trump's team raised the possibility of hosting other world leaders at the Capitol on January 20.

According to a CBS News source, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has a close relationship with Trump and visited him at Mar-a-Lago this week, is still considering whether to attend the meeting.

"World leaders are lining up to meet with President Trump because they know he will soon return to power and restore peace through American strength around the globe," said Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the newly elected US president.

CBS News noted that inaugurations typically invite ambassadors and other diplomats. However, records from the State Department, dating back to 1874, show that no foreign leader has ever attended a presidential inauguration ceremony.

US presidential election and cooperation with China

In the US presidential election on November 5, Republican Party leader Donald Trump won, securing 312 electoral votes, surpassing the required 270.

The inauguration of the new president will take place on January 20 in the US Congress.

Earlier, Xi Jinping assured incumbent President Joe Biden that he would cooperate with Trump's team on key conflicts, referring to cybercrime, as well as trade relations concerning Taiwan and Russia.

Additionally, during their last meeting, Biden will attempt to convince Xi to persuade North Korea to halt its deepening support for Russia's war against Ukraine.