The Guardian-Xi Jinping sends China vice-president to Donald Trumps inauguration
January 17, 2025 3 min 450 words
这篇报道主要内容是，特朗普邀请习近平出席他的就职典礼，但习近平没有接受邀请，而是派中国副总统韩正作为他的特使前往。报道称，习近平这一举动表明中国愿意打破外交惯例，满足特朗普的要求，为中美谈判和达成协议做出努力。同时，也有分析人士认为，中国派韩正而不是习近平出席，是避免习近平成为特朗普胜利加冕典礼的“背景板”。报道还提到了美国和中国之间日益激烈的竞争，以及特朗普政府中一些中国鹰派人士，如国务卿提名人马可鲁比奥。 评论：这篇报道有其偏见之处，但同时也反映出一些客观事实。首先，报道以负面角度解读习近平派副总统出席特朗普就职典礼的意图，认为中国“屈从于特朗普的要求”有失偏颇。事实上，中国领导人无法同时出席多国领导人活动的情况并不少见，派代表出席是正常外交行为，不应过度解读。其次，报道中提及的“确保中国给予足够的礼节以避免伤害特朗普的自尊心”，也显得夸张和不尊重。但同时，报道也反映出中美关系的复杂性和特朗普政府中的对华鹰派人士的影响，这些内容与事实相符。总的来说，该报道有其偏见，但也包含一些客观信息。
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, but he is sending his vice-president, Han Zheng, as his special representative.
The decision, announced on Friday in China by the foreign ministry, came more than a month after Trump extended the unusual invitation to Xi, a break from tradition since no heads of state have previously made an official visit to the US for the inauguration.
“We stand ready to work with the new US government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relations and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other,” the ministry’s spokesperson said when announcing the decision.
Other foreign leaders have spoken about being invited to Trump’s inauguration, including the Argentinian president, Javier Milei, and the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. The offices of the Ecuadorean president, Daniel Noboa, and the Paraguayan president, Santiago Peña, have also said they were invited and were planning to attend.
Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think-tank Stimson Center, said the move by Xi meant “China is willing to forego protocol and cater to what Trump wants.”
“It indicates that China is willing to talk, negotiate and make efforts to reach deals,” Sun wrote.
Danny Russel, vice-president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Beijing was hedging by sending Han instead of Xi.
“Zero chance that Xi Jinping would allow himself to be potted plant at Donald Trump’s triumphal coronation. At the same time, ensuring that China extends enough courtesy to avoid bruising Trump’s ego,” Russel wrote. Han’s mission, the former American diplomat said, was “symbolic, not substantive”.
The dispatch of Han comes as the US-China rivalry is set to intensify. Several of Trump’s nominees for key cabinet positions are known China hawks, including senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who has been nominated as secretary of state.
Rubio called China “the most potent, dangerous and near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted” during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, when members of the Senate foreign relations committee urged Rubio to make countering China a top priority.
Beijing prefers leader-level talks, which it believes could help guide the bilateral relations, while Trump likes to deal with world leaders directly.
As president, Xi has traveled abroad for state visits and summits. But he did not attend the coronation of King Charles III, nor did he go to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II or the memorial service for Nelson Mandela.