China finds itself in a dilemma regarding Donald Trump’s potential return to the White House. While the invitation to Xi Jinping for the inauguration signals hopes for normalized relations, memories of the trade war during Trump’s first term, marked by tariff threats, bring mixed feelings. Amidst this scenario, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng held a meeting on Sunday (January 19) with key figures from the U.S. business community, according to British news agency Reuters.
Ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Zheng met with business leaders in Washington, including Tesla owner Elon Musk, and expressed China’s interest in welcoming companies like Tesla to do business on Chinese soil. He hoped their contributions would not only benefit China’s development but also strengthen bilateral relations.
During his first presidency, Trump imposed tariffs exceeding $300 billion on Chinese goods. Recently, he has reiterated his intentions to impose an additional 10% tariff on top of the existing ones. If implemented, this could exert even more severe pressure on China, which is already struggling to achieve its desired economic growth.
At the same time, many see Trump’s invitation to Xi Jinping for his inauguration as a gesture of goodwill. Although Xi did not attend personally, he sent his vice president, marking a significant gesture from China. In contrast, for the previous two U.S. presidential inaugurations, China had only sent its ambassador. This indicates the importance China has placed on Trump’s invitation.