In a rare diplomatic gesture, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his second inauguration on January 20, 2025.
However, Xi has reportedly declined the invitation, signalling persistent tensions between the two global powers.
Trump's transition spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, confirmed the development during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Saturday.
Trump himself addressed the decision at the New York Stock Exchange, framing the invitation as an unconventional approach to diplomacy.
“Some people said, ‘Wow, that’s a little risky, isn’t it?’ And I said, ‘Maybe it is. We’ll see. But we like to take little chances,’” Trump said.
Xi’s refusal comes amid strained U.S.-China relations fuelled by economic and geopolitical friction.
Just last month, Trump proposed an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports, citing trade imbalances and concerns over illicit drug trafficking.
China swiftly pushed back, with a spokesperson for its embassy tweeting, “China-US economic and trade cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature. No one will win a trade war or a tariff war.”
Experts view Trump’s invitation as a symbolic attempt to reset the tone of bilateral ties.
Lily McElwee, deputy director at the Freeman Chair in China Studies, said, “The invitation was likely a low-cost effort to signal openness without undermining U.S. policy goals.”
However, no foreign head of state has ever attended a U.S. presidential inauguration, making Trump’s overture a marked departure from tradition.
Analysts suggest Xi’s absence underscores the depth of mistrust between Beijing and Washington.
The relationship remains fraught as Trump prepares to begin his second term. Economic experts have warned that his trade policies could exacerbate inflation and destabilize global markets, concerns echoed by a group of Nobel Prize-winning economists in a recent open letter.
Xi’s decision to decline the invitation encapsulates the challenges ahead for the world’s two largest economies, as they navigate an increasingly turbulent geopolitical landscape.
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