China’s Xi Jinping likely to reject Trump’s inauguration invitation

Chinese leader Xi Jinping will likely watch Newly elected President Donald Trump’s invitation Experts say attending his inauguration ceremony is too risky and Trump’s move may have little impact on the growing competitive relationship between the two countries due to the change in power in the White House.

Trump’s incoming press secretary, Carolyn Leavitt, confirmed Thursday that Trump has extended an invitation to the Jan. 20 ceremony.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it had no information to provide. But experts do not see Xi coming to Washington next month.

Why wouldn’t Xi join in?

“Can you imagine Xi Jinping sitting on the steps of the stage outside in Washington, D.C., in January, surrounded by aggressive members of Congress, staring at Donald Trump as he gave his inaugural address?” said Danny Russell, who previously served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

Russell, now vice president of international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Xi was limiting himself to the status of a mere guest celebrating the victory of “a foreign leader – the American president, no less.” will not let.

Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank, said Beijing would play it safe while there is no protocol or precedent for a Chinese leader attending a US presidential inauguration.

“I don’t think the Chinese will take the risk,” Sun said.

For example, there could be risks in the guest list, Sun said, noting that Taiwan’s top diplomat in the US attended President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.

Beijing considers Taiwan Chinese territory and has repeatedly warned the US that this is a red line that should not be crossed.

Should Trump impose tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese goods upon taking office as he has threatened, Xi would look foolish if he chose to participate, and that is unacceptable to Beijing, Sun said.

Rather, Chinese officials are known for their obsession with protecting the dignity and security of their leader when he travels abroad, said Russell, who has held high-level summit talks with the Chinese.

“He has always demanded that any visit by a leader to Washington be treated as a full ‘state visit,'” Russell said.

What’s next for US-China relations?

But there is hope that plans are underway for Trump and Xi to meet in person soon, Russell said.

Trump prefers meeting in person with foreign leaders, especially major adversaries, Russell said, and Beijing may believe it can get a better deal by dealing directly with Trump.

Trump’s return to the White House is expected to further intensify the US-China rivalry. He has picked several China veterans for his Cabinet, including Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Representative Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor.

Beijing has taken a “wait and see” approach, but says it is prepared to retaliate if Washington raises tariffs on Chinese goods or takes other unfriendly steps.

The Stimson Center’s Sun cautioned that Trump’s invitation does not exclude hostile policies toward China. Trump visited China in 2017 and “played nice,” he said, but the following year he started a trade war.

“We’ve seen this before,” Sun said.

“For Trump, there is no contradiction between the carrot and the stick. For China, this is a contradiction. This will increase China’s willingness to play it safe and not play the role played by Trump, whether friendly or hostile.