Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly rejected Donald Trump’s invitation to his inauguration in January.
The president-elect had invited the Chinese leader despite emerging tensions between Beijing and Washington and the risk of an industrial war between the two countries.
But China’s ambassador to the United States is expected to attend, while President Xi remains at home, CBS News reports.
Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that the president-elect’s invitation is “an example of how President Trump is creating an open discussion with leaders of countries that are only allies but also our adversaries and competitors. “
Since the start of his first term in office, Mr Trump has been critical of China.
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Mr Trump has also vowed to sharply increase tariffs on China when he returns to the White House.
But ahead of his second term, Mr Trump praised Xi, telling podcaster Joe Rogan: “He controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist. I mean, he’s a brilliant guy, whether you like it or not.”
Meanwhile, two of Mr Trump’s cabinet picks – Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio and national security adviser nominee Mike Waltz – are big critics of China.
Rubio even sanctioned it through China in 2020.
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Earlier this week, President Xi warned Trump that he was opposed to the outbreak of an industrial war.
He said: “Tariff wars, industrial wars and generational wars are going on against old economic trends and laws, and there will be no winners.
“Building ‘small courtyards with high walls’ and ‘decoupling and breaking chains’ will hurt others and not benefit oneself. China has always believed that only when China is good can the world be good. Only when the world is good can China be better.”
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