In First, China’s VP Will Attend US Presidential | Asian Markets

Final yr, after Donald Trump’s victory within the presidential election, media reported that he had prolonged an uncommon invitation for China’s high chief, Xi Jinping, to attend the inauguration on January 20. No high Chinese language chief has ever attended a U.S. presidential inauguration (in truth, international leaders from any nation, together with close U.S. companions and allies, are historically not invited). Sometimes, China is represented by its ambassador to the USA.

On January 17, China’s Overseas Ministry introduced that Vice President Han Zheng shall be attending as an alternative, as Xi Jinping’s “special representative.”

“China follows the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation in viewing and growing its relationship with the United States,” a ministry assertion mentioned. “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. relationship and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other in the new era.”

Xi Jinping himself was all the time unlikely to attend. For one, he has sharply curtailed his abroad journey because the COVID-19 pandemic, typically venturing overseas just for main worldwide summits. For one more factor, the tensions in China-U.S. relations would have made such a go to awkward, with the character of Xi’s reception considerably doubtful. For context, Xi hasn’t visited Washington, D.C. since 2016, when he took half within the Nuclear Safety Summit. For a purely bilateral go to, we’ve to go back to 2015. Whereas Xi did go to the USA as soon as every during Trump’s first time period and Biden’s time period, he was hosted in Florida and California, respectively – a go to outdoors the U.S. capital lowers the political stakes considerably. 

As a substitute, Han Zheng will make the trek. Whereas the vice presidency is just not a significantly highly effective place in China’s hierarchy, Han personally is an influential determine; he was a member of Politburo Standing Committee, the Chinese language Communist Occasion’s highest physique, during its earlier time period, type 2017 to 2022. He retired from the Politburo Standing Committee on the twentieth Occasion Congress in October 2022, and as an alternative took up a post within the authorities as vice president. 

Since then, Han has continuously traveled overseas to signify China at high-profile occasions – together with the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III in 2023 and the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics in 2024. Most not too long ago, Han attended the swearing-in of Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto. 

It’s notable that China is sending such a high-profile determine to attend Trump’s inauguration regardless of the hawkish alerts coming from the incoming administration during the affirmation hearings for Trump’s Cupboard picks this week. Incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled China the “biggest threat” to the USA’ continued prosperity and national security. Trump’s decide for treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, expressed openness to trade talks with China, however mentioned first the nation should stay up to the unfulfilled guarantees made within the trade deal reached beneath Trump’s first administration in 2020. 

“China has not made good on their ag purchases for four years,” Bessent mentioned. “If confirmed, next week I would start pushing for them to resume the purchases” – and, he added, he would talk about with Trump whether or not further “catch-up” purchases ought to be required after China missed its commitments over the previous 5 years. 

Nonetheless, Beijing is hoping to get the connection off to a good begin. As a consequence, its Overseas Ministry spokespeople avoided commenting on the affirmation hearings of their common press conferences, avoiding a rhetorical struggle. However China has signaled that it’s going to reply in variety to any motion taken by the new administration, with repeated warnings to not cross its “red lines.”  

The choice to ship Han Zheng to Trump’s inauguration is consistent with Beijing’s broader attempt to regular China-U.S. relations. China wouldn’t need to snub Trump by rejecting his invitation totally, particularly given the incoming president’s status for having skinny pores and skin and personalizing international relations. However having Xi attend personally was out of the query – each as a result of of the overall state of China-U.S. relations and since Xi has by no means attended any international chief’s inauguration. Even when President Vladimir Putin of Russia, was sworn in to a new time period in Could 2024, Xi waited till the following week to pay a go to to his “dear friend.”

Sending a vice president is an acceptable compromise – and one which helps insulate Xi from the fallout ought to Trump implement some of his guarantees on China instantly after taking workplace.