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SnopesDec 23, 2022
Report: Trump Invites Xi Jinping to Inauguration
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Above: Donald Trump and Xi Jinping outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Nov. 9, 2017. Image copyright: Qilai Shen/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Facts
US Pres.-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping, among other foreign dignitaries, to the presidential inauguration in January 2025, CBS News has reported citing multiple official sources.
While it isn't yet clear if Xi has accepted Trump's invitation for the Jan. 20 swearing-in, the president-elect said last week that he's recently "had communication" with Xi, though didn't share any further details.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Trump's invitation to Xi hints at a complex diplomatic dance. Despite surrounding himself with China hawks, Trump offers a paradoxical approach — aggressive yet willing to negotiate. His unique foreign policy style suggests an opportunity for engagement, potentially disrupting the Cold War narrative and offering a nuanced path forward in US-China relations that defies conventional diplomatic expectations.
Pro-establishment narrative
Xi is unlikely to attend Trump's inauguration. Historically, no Chinese head of state has personally graced a US presidential transition, instead sending representatives. The intricate diplomatic choreography and Trump's transitional uncertainties make Xi's attendance improbable, and reflect ongoing, unresolved complexities in US-China relations.
