The United States President-elect Donald Trump held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday evening, as Chinese state media CCTV reported. The call, which took place, comes just three days before Trump’s inauguration ceremony on January 20.
No additional details about the conversation have been released.
Earlier in the day, China announced that President Xi Jinping will not attend Trump’s inauguration but has appointed vice president Han Zheng as his special representative.

In a first, China sends high-level representative to US inaugural ceremony

According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, this marks the first time a senior Chinese official will attend a US presidential swearing-in ceremony.
The Chinese foreign ministry announced the decision, also specified the importance of fostering a stable and cooperative relationship between the two nations. “We stand ready to work with the new US government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly pursue a stable, healthy, and sustainable China-US relationship,” said a ministry spokesperson.
The invitation to Xi was an unusual gesture from Trump, breaking with tradition since heads of state typically do not make official visits to the US for inaugurations.
During his first term, Trump engaged in a contentious trade war with China, imposing heavy tariffs on imports from the world’s second-largest economy.
In addition to China’s vice president, other international leaders have also announced plans to attend the ceremony.
Argentinian President Javier Milei and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni are among the invitees, while Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña have confirmed their participation.