WASHINGTON: US President-elect Donald Trump has formally invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration ceremony on January 20, amid rising tensions between the two countries over trade and security concerns. BS reported citing multiple sources.
The invitation to the Jan. 20 inauguration in Washington came in early November, shortly after the Nov. 5 presidential election, and it was unclear whether it was accepted, CBS reported.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Friday that he “got along very well” with Xi and that they had “communicated as recently as this week.”
Trump has named a number of Chinahawks to key positions in his incoming administration, including Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state.
Trump has said he will impose additional 10 percent tariffs on Chinese goods unless Beijing does more to curb the trafficking of the highly addictive drug fentanyl. He also threatened more than 60 percent tariffs on Chinese goods during the election campaign.
In late November, Chinese state media warned Trump that his pledge to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods over the flow of fentanyl could drag the world’s two largest economies into a mutually destructive tariff war.