Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to attend the inauguration ceremony of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on January 20, despite receiving an invitation, according to sources familiar with the preparations. However, China’s ambassador to the U.S. and their spouse are expected to attend the event, in line with standard diplomatic protocol. Other Chinese officials may also participate, although the Chinese embassy in Washington has declined to provide any comments regarding the matter.

In the midst of these preparations, the Trump transition team has not responded to requests for comment, and no further details have been provided about the attendance of any other Chinese officials. Despite this, Trump acknowledged on Thursday that he has had a good relationship with China and has been in communication with President Xi, although he refrained from offering specifics on the matter.

The invitation comes at a time of heightened tension in U.S.-China relations. Recently, the U.S. intelligence community revealed a significant hack affecting several U.S. telecom companies, which it attributed to Chinese actors. The breach reportedly involved the access of sensitive metadata, potentially impacting millions of Americans, including high-ranking officials such as Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Source: CBS News