Chinese leader attends Trump’s inauguration?

China is sending Vice President Han Zheng to US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday – the first time a senior Chinese leader will witness the swearing-in of a US president.

Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping, among other leaders, in a break with tradition as foreign leaders traditionally do not attend US presidential inaugurations.

China said it wants to work with the new US administration to “find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other in a new era.”

But Beijing is also preparing for a Trump presidency that is expected to include new tariffs on Chinese-made imports and more bellicose rhetoric — Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio described China as “the biggest, most advanced adversary America has ever faced.”

As president, Xi never attended an inauguration or coronation ceremony, choosing instead to send a representative on his behalf. China’s ambassador to the US attended the last two presidential inaugurations, in 2017 and 2021.

However, Beijing has sent vice presidents to such ceremonies elsewhere – Khan attended the inauguration of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in October 2023. And his predecessor, Wang Qishan, attended the inauguration of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in 2022 and Brazilian President Lula da Silva in 2023.

Xi’s decision to send Khan to the U.S. is a sign that he “wants to put Trump in deal-making mode, but (he) doesn’t want to be a supporting actor on the Trump show on January 20,” said Neil Thomas, China Policy Fellow at the Policy Institute Asian society.

Other foreign leaders invited to the inauguration include Argentine President Javier Millais and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Trump’s spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told US media that Xi’s invitation was “an example of Trump’s open dialogue with the leaders of countries that are not only our allies, but also our adversaries and competitors.”

It could also be an attempt by Trump to show the world that “he has the ability to influence Xi Jinping’s decision-making and their special relationship,” said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington.

It was previously reported that some of Trump’s advisers wanted Tsai Qi involved. Tsai, 66, considered by many to be Xi’s right-hand man, sits on the seven-member Standing Committee of the Communist Party’s Politburo, China’s equivalent of a cabinet.

The Financial Times quoted an unnamed insider as saying that Trump would be “unhappy” if the Chinese envoy was “only at the level of Han or (Foreign Minister) Wang Yi.” The BBC was unable to verify these claims.

But as vice president, Han, 70, has a “very senior role in China’s state system,” and the decision to send him “relates to Trump,” said Chong Jia-Yan, a Carnegie foreign scholar. China.

Khan, who was appointed vice president in March 2023, is known as “Number Eight” – the most senior leader after the seven-member Politburo Standing Committee.

Khan was also a member until October 2022, when Xi began a historic third term in power appointed his most trusted deputies to higher positions.

Before that, Han spent most of his political career in Shanghai, where he was born. He was an aide to Xi in 2007 when the latter was party secretary in Shanghai, before later taking the post in 2012.

During his tenure as vice president, foreign affairs were a key area for him. He led the promotion team for the Belt and Road Initiative – China’s key trade and infrastructure project – and chaired the steering committee for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

But the fact that Han is no longer on the Politburo Standing Committee may have been a key factor in Beijing’s decision to send him.

“If US-China relations deteriorate from the party’s perspective, Xi and the party will be able to show that they have maintained a certain distance from Trump,” Professor Chong said.

And it also helps that Han is not considered part of Xi’s inner circle, according to Mr. Thomas.

“Xi trusts Han enough to carry out this mission, but Han is not a key ally and can safely be blamed if things go wrong.”

Additional reporting by Ian Tang of BBC Monitoring