Chinese leader Xi Jinping may not have personally accepted US President-elect Donald Trump’s invitation to his inauguration, but Beijing has taken the rare step of dispatching a top official to join the swearing-in ceremony in Washington.

In a first, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng will attend Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th president of the United States in Washington on January 20.

By bno - Taipei Bureau As tensions between the United States and China continue to simmer over trade and technology, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng’s visit to Washington has sparked significant dialogue between both nations.

Vice President Han Zheng, China’s representative at Donald Trump’s inauguration, is a trusted adviser to President Xi Jinping.

Mr Han said US firms were welcome in China during the sit-down in Washington with Mr Musk. Read more at straitstimes.com.

China’s vice president has held meetings with the U.S. vice president-elect and business leaders including Elon Musk on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration

Vice President Han Zheng will represent China at Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, signalling a potential thaw in Washington-Beijing relations.View on euronews

Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, but he is sending Vice President Han Zheng as his special representative

One of the highest-ranking members of the Chinese Communist Party will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday. Trump had previously invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration ceremony,

For Donald Trump’s inauguration, China is sending Vice President Han Zheng. This comes after the incoming US president invited Xi Jinping to attend the January 20 event — a break from tradition

Han has used the visit to meet with members of the American business community, including Tesla CEO and close Trump associate Elon Musk, according to Chinese state agency Xinhua. Musk is widely thought to be seen by Beijing as more sympathetic to its interests than others in Trump’s orbit.

China and the U.S. should not entangle themselves in trade imbalances and tariffs but find a new, innovative perspective. The future will be shaped by AI, big data, quantum computing and telecom. Both countries have tremendous common interests.