Donald Trump has extended an invite to Chinese President Xi Jinping, to attend his inauguration ceremony in January.
On Thursday, December 12, the United States President-elect’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed the invite during an appearance on the TV channel Fox News.
She said, “This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too.”
Karoline shared that the invitation as an effort to strengthen ties between the two countries, which are considered as rivals.
A China specialist, Scott Kennedy, at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies told Reuters, “This is diplomatic theater, nothing more. Other heads of state, let alone Xi Jinping, haven’t attended US presidential inaugurations.”
Some reports are suggesting that Xi might not accept the invitation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to the invite query, “I have nothing to share at present.”
The news about inauguration invitation came after Donald Trump became Time’s 2024 Person of the Year.
He will be sworn in as the new president on Monday, January 20, 2025.
