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Washington (AP) -The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, will attend the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, however, is sending the vice president Han Zheng as his special representative.
The decision, announced Friday in China through the Foreign Ministry, came more than a month after Trump extended the invitation to XI, a break from tradition, because no head of state in the past made an official stop to the United States. for the inauguration.
“We stand ready to work with the new U.S. government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relations and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other,” the ministry’s spokesperson said when announcing the decision.
Other foreign leaders have talked about being invited to the inauguration of Trump, Argentine President Javier Milei and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The offices of Ecuadorian President Daniel Nnovera and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña also said they had been invited and planned to attend.
Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center, said the move by Xi means “China is willing to forego protocol and cater to what Trump wants.”
“This indicates that China is in a position to talk, negotiate and make efforts to conclude the agreements,” Sun wrote.
Danny Russel, vice president of foreign security and international relations in Asia Society Society, said Beijing hides through the shipment of Han of XI.
“Zero chance that Xi Jinping would allow himself to be potted plant at Donald Trump’s triumphal coronation. At the same time, ensuring that China extends enough courtesy to avoid bruising Trump’s ego,” Russel wrote. Han’s mission, the former American diplomat said, is “symbolic, not substantive.”
The dispatch of Han comes as the U.S.-China rivalry is set to intensify. Several of Trump’s nominees for key Cabinet positions are known China hawks, including Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who’s nominated as secretary of state. Rubio called China “the most potent, dangerous and near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted” during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, when members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged Rubio to make countering China a top priority.
Beijing prefers leader-level talks, which he says he can consult bilateral relations, while Trump likes to deal directly with global leaders.
As president, Xi has traveled abroad for state visits and summits. But he did not attend the coronation of King Charles III, nor did he go to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II or the memorial service for Nelson Mandela. Instead, he sent vice presidents. Han was his special representative for King Charles III’s coronation. When Trump invited Xi to the inauguration in December, it was widely believed that Xi was unlikely to come.
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Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., contributed to this report.
Didi Tang, The Associated Press
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