Chinese President Xi Jinping will appear on November 20th. US President-elect Donald Trump has invited Mr Xi to his inauguration ceremony in Washington DC next month Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images Hide Caption
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Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been invited to attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next month.
Incoming White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told Fox News on Thursday that the inaugural committee had extended the invitation to Xi and other foreign leaders, but it was unclear who else besides the Chinese president would be invited. The details were not disclosed. CBS News first reported on the invitation.
“This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with the leaders of countries that are not only allies but also adversaries and competitors,” Levitt said on Fox.
He added that it was “undecided” whether Mr. Xi would accept the invitation.
Mr. Levitt called the invitation of foreign dignitaries a “precedent.” But Alan Lichtman, a political science professor at American University, said invitations to leaders like Mr. Xi are not common.
“While it is precedent for us to invite some high-ranking officials, such as ambassadors, we do not invite foreign heads of state or even heads of state that are not allies,” Lichtman said in an email to NPR.
President Trump has taken a tough stance toward China. But during his first term, he often touted his strong relationship with Mr Xi, saying the two had “great chemistry”.
However, the first Trump administration imposed tariffs on some products from China, and President Trump recently threatened to impose additional tariffs in his second term.
Last month, President Trump announced a 10% tariff on goods entering the United States from China due to the amount of fentanyl and other drugs entering the United States from China, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. threatened to impose charges. It is not yet clear whether the tariffs will materialize.
