WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping and other foreign leaders to his inauguration next month in Washington, a Trump transition spokesperson said on Thursday.
Asked if Xi had responded, Karoline Leavitt told Fox News in an interview that was “to be determined”. She did not name the other world leaders who were also invited.
“This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” she added. “He is willing to talk to anyone and he will always put America’s interests first.”
The Kremlin separately on Thursday said that it had not received an invitation to attend the Jan. 20 inauguration.
The offer for Xi to attend Trump’s swearing-in was extended in early November, shortly after the Nov. 5 presidential election, according to CBS News, which first reported the invitation on Wednesday.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Susan Heavey; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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