Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to send a high-ranking representative to the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump. About this informs Financial Times.
The representative will attend the ceremony in place of Xi Jinping himself and will likely hold talks with the Trump administration. Possible candidates for the mission include Xi Jinping’s deputy Han Zhen, who often performs ceremonial functions, or Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
However, some Trump advisers believe the representative should be Tsai Qi, a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, who has more influence than Han or Wang because he is Xi Jinping’s right-hand man.
Xi Jinping’s absence from the ceremony may cause Trump’s displeasure. Wang Yi may be perceived as not high enough because his rank is lower than that of Tsai or Han. At the same time, even the presence of any high-ranking representative is unprecedented, as China has traditionally represented only its ambassador in Washington at inaugurations.
Former White House China adviser Dennis Wilder explained that Xi Jinping likely avoids personal presence because of Trump’s unpredictability. At the same time, sending a high-ranking special envoy may signal China’s desire to start relations with the new US administration “on a positive note.”
