Chinese President Xi Jinping has declined to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, reports CBS News.
Xi was personally invited to the Jan. 20 event by Trump, but experts told the Associated Press attending the inauguration would be too risky to accept.
"I don't think the Chinese will take the risk," Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank, said. There could be risks in the guest list, for example, Sun said, noting that Taiwan's top diplomat in the U.S. attended the swearing-in of President Joe Biden in 2021. Beijing considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory and has repeatedly warned the U.S. that it is a red line not to be crossed.
Trump told CNBC Friday morning that he has a "good relationship with China.
"We've been talking and discussing with President Xi some things." He declined to go into detail and was not asked specifically about Xi and the inauguration.
The Chinese ambassador to the U.S. and his wife will attend the swearing-in ceremony and other officials from Beijing could also join, according to CBS.
Trump's return to the White House is expected to further intensify the U.S.-China rivalry. He has picked several China hawks for his Cabinet, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as the secretary of state and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., as the national security adviser.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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