Chinese President Xi Jinping will send a high-ranking official to the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, an unprecedented move designed to reduce friction between the countries at the beginning of the new US administration, the Financial Times reports, according to UNN.
Details
According to several people familiar with the talks, Beijing has informed Trump's transition team that a senior official will be present instead of Xi. The envoy will also hold talks with the Trump team, according to several people familiar with the talks.
Trump has extended an unusual invitation to Xi to attend his inauguration on January 20 as a sign that he intends to resume the high-level interaction with the Chinese leader that he had during his first term in the White House.
Beijing is desperately trying to ease friction with Washington as it prepares for a possible major escalation in trade tensions, the newspaper writes. Chinese officials found it difficult to meet with Trump's advisers ahead of the US elections in November, which raised concerns in Beijing that they would be unprepared for any changes in China, the newspaper notes.
Several people said that Xi could send Han Zheng, the vice president who sometimes replaces him in ceremonial roles. Another option is Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
One person familiar with the situation said that some Trump advisers wanted Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee who wields far more power than Han or Wang, as Xi's right-hand man.
Another person familiar with the views within the transition team said there are some concerns that Trump will be unhappy if the envoy is only at the level of Wang or Han, given that he invited a Chinese leader.
“The Chinese need to send an official of the right level to start the relationship off on the right foot,” the source said.
The presence of either official would be unprecedented, given that China was previously represented by its ambassador in Washington.
“Trump is probably seen as too unpredictable for Xi to take the internal risk of a personal presence,” said Dennis Wilder, former White House senior China adviser. - “By sending a high-profile special envoy to meet with Trump and his cabinet, Xi can demonstrate that he wants to start off on the right foot with the Trump administration without risking coming home empty-handed or publicly embarrassing himself.
Several people said that in addition to the ceremonial part, the Chinese envoy will also have meaningful discussions with the new Trump team.
Beijing is preparing for turbulence with Washington, especially after Trump appointed a number of China hawks to top national security posts.
Mike Volz, Trump's new national security adviser, and his deputy, Alex Wong, are considered to be very tough on China. Trump has also appointed Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, one of the most ardent China hawks in Congress, as his Secretary of State.
This week, Trump said his team is already in contact with Beijing. “We're communicating through their representatives,” Trump said in an interview with Hugh Hewitt's radio show, when he also blamed China for the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
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