Beijing, Jan 17 (EFE).- China’s Vice President Han Zheng will attend the inauguration of United States President-elect Donald Trump next week in Washington, authorities said Friday.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its website that Han would be present at the Monday event as a special envoy of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who had been invited to the inauguration.
“At US invitation, President Xi Jinping’s special representative, Vice President Han Zheng, will attend the inauguration ceremony of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 in Washington, DC,” the statement read.
“We stand ready to work with the new U.S. government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, tly pursue a stable, healthy, and sustainable China-US relationship, and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other,” the ministry said.
The next White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, said last month that Trump had invited Xi to attend the ceremony, which the Chinese president had rejected.
No head of state has attended the inauguration of an American president, according to State Department records dating back to 1874, as reported by American media outlet CBS News.
Trump will regain the presidency after having promised in his electoral campaign to impose new tariffs on Chinese imports, in a line similar to the trade war that he promoted during his first term and in a context of tensions with China on issues such as Taiwan, technology, or the war in Ukraine. EFE
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