'Xi Jinping Special Envoy' Han Zheng, Vice President of China, Attends Trump's Inauguration Ceremony

On the 17th, Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Vice President Han Zheng will attend the inauguration ceremony of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed, "At the invitation of the U.S. side, Vice President Han will attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Trump held in Washington DC on the 20th (local time) as a special representative (envoy) of Chinese President Xi Jinping." Vice President Han is a figure who has played a supporting role to President Xi in diplomatic and ceremonial matters, having previously represented China at the coronation of King Charles of the United Kingdom.

Reuters Yonhap News

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We hope to strengthen dialogue and communication with the new U.S. administration, properly manage conflicts, and expand cooperation in mutually beneficial directions," adding, "Both countries are ready to find the right path to get along well with each other."

Earlier, when it was confirmed last month that President-elect Trump had sent an invitation to President Xi for the inauguration, attention focused on who would attend. Since it is unprecedented for a Chinese leader to attend a U.S. presidential inauguration, there had been speculation that a high-level envoy such as Vice President Han or Wang Yi, Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party and Minister of Foreign Affairs, would visit Washington.

There are views that the dispatch of this envoy from the Chinese side could serve as a turning point for reconciliation in U.S.-China relations. Previously, President-elect Trump had announced a 60% high tariff on China. Professor Diao Daming of the International Relations Department at Renmin University in Beijing told the Hong Kong China Morning Post (SCMP), "This reflects China's focus on stabilizing relations with the U.S.," adding, "It will provide a good starting point for the next stage of tariffs and contribute to further interactions between China and the U.S."

SCMP noted that the tone China has taken toward the incoming administration in recent weeks also shows several signs. Last month, President Xi warned in the tariff and technology war with the U.S. that "there will be no winners," but left room by saying, "We want to maintain dialogue." Instead of intimidating the other side with aggressive rhetoric known as 'wolf warrior diplomacy,' China is sending relatively conciliatory messages. The People's Daily also sent a message to the incoming U.S. administration this week that the "cake" of cooperation between China and the U.S. could grow larger.

Generally, foreign heads of state have not attended U.S. presidential inaugurations. Instead, U.S. lawmakers and foreign ambassadors mainly attend. In South Korea, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, and Cho Hyun-dong, the South Korean ambassador to the U.S., were among the attendees.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.