Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States, is reportedly considering a visit to China within 100 days after his inauguration to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 18th (local time), the president-elect Trump shared this information with his close aides. It was discussed that Trump and President Xi had conversations through intermediaries about a face-to-face meeting, with options including inviting President Xi to the U.S. after the inauguration.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., has not made an immediate statement regarding this report. Trump's transition team also mentioned to WSJ that nothing has been finalized yet.
The president-elect noted the previous day via his social media platform Truth Social that he had a phone call with President Xi discussing the balance of trade between the U.S. and China, as well as regulations on the drug fentanyl. It is unclear whether he mentioned the China visit during the call with President Xi. However, it was reported that the Chinese side indicated Trump expressed during the call that he looks forward to meeting with President Xi as soon as possible.
The inauguration ceremony for the president-elect will be held on the 20th. Although the president-elect invited President Xi to the inauguration, the Chinese side plans to send the Vice Chairman of the National Committee instead of President Xi as an envoy.
During Trump's first term, in April 2017, the first year of his presidency, President Xi visited the U.S. first, holding a summit at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and in November of that year, then-President Trump visited China.