US outlet reports Trump invited Xi soon after winning election, even though foreign heads of state do not attend presidential inauguration
Updated: 2:03pm, 12 Dec 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping and US president-elect Donald Trump last met in Japan in June 2019. Analysts say Beijing should invite Trump to Beijing “at a suitable time”. Photo: Reuters
China appears unlikely to accept US president-elect Donald Trump’s invitation for the Chinese president Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration next month given diplomatic protocol and historical precedents.
There is no record of any Chinese heads of state joining a US presidential transition ceremony. Since becoming China’s paramount leader, Xi has never attended such events personally in foreign countries, instead sending a special representative or envoy.