China Sends Its Highest-Ranking Official Ever To A U.S. Inauguration
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng is expected to attend U.S. Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration - the highest-ranking Chinese official to ever attend the event.
Trump had invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping and while he did not accept, he made the rare move of sending the experienced top official to Washington.
Han – a trusted confidant of Xi’s – met U.S. Vice President JD Vance on January 19, when they discussed a “range of topics including fentanyl, balancing trade, and regional stability,” the Trump-Vance transition team said in a statement.
The goodwill tour in Washington also saw Han meet with members of the American business community, including Tesla CEO and Trump associate Elon Musk.
With Beijing looking down the barrel of a potential trade war as it aims to stabilize its ailing economy, avoiding major friction is a clear priority.
Congratulations From Putin
- By Ray Furlong
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration.
Putin said he was open to dialogue with the new U.S. administration on ending the Ukraine conflict, based on a “lasting peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people.”
Russia launched an unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The conflict has cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Putin lays claim to swathes of Ukrainian territory, beyond what his forces have occupied.
Trump has said ending the war is a key foreign policy priority. In his most recent comments, he said he hoped he could achieve it within six months, but he has not revealed a detailed plan for this.
TikTok’s Prime Seating At Trump’s Inauguration
Following an eventful weekend over the fate of the popular social media app TikTok, the company’s CEO will attend U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Shou Chew, who heads the Chinese-owned TikTok, will reportedly sit near the dais at the inauguration along with other prominent tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.
Ahead of a law that would require ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban, Trump pledged to delay enforcement of the law to give more time to reach a divestment deal.
Prior to that intervention, TikTok briefly went dark in the United States before access was restored on January 19.
TikTok users were greeted with an onscreen message thanking Trump upon the app’s return.
While the app’s future still hangs in the balance, Trump’s statements and Chew publicly aligning himself with the incoming administration points to improved fortunes for TikTok.
Biden And Trump Shake Hands
What's Up First For Trump's Foreign Policy? Ukraine War And Russia
As soon as Donald Trump is sworn in as U.S. president, he faces several foreign policy challenges. As RFE/RL's Mike Eckel explains, the war in Ukraine and Russia is at the top of the agenda.
Iran’s President Removes U.S.-Flag Doormat
Until recently, all guests arriving at the office of Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian had to tread on an American and Israeli flag before entering. But the flags have been removed, according to Ensaf News, an Iranian outlet that is close to Pezeshkian.
The move comes amid conciliatory signals from Pezeshkian. Speaking to NBC recently, he said Iran in principle was open to dialogue with the incoming Trump administration.
Trampling on the U.S. flag has been a common anti-American act in the Islamic republic in the past 45 years. In recent years, an increasing number of Iranians have publicly opposed and criticized such actions.
Bidens Welcome Trumps To The White House
Here's a video of Joe and Jill Biden greeting Donald and Melania Trump at the White House for tea before the swearing-in ceremony. Donald Trump eschewed the traditional tea between the outgoing and incoming presidents on inauguration day four years ago, but Biden has revived the practice this time around.
What Trump’s Return Means For Afghanistan
On the eve of his inauguration, Donald Trump called on Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to hand over American weapons seized after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal or risk losing his country’s aid.
“We will not give them the money unless they return our military equipment,” Trump told supporters at a rally in Washington on January 19.
The U.S. is currently the leading donor of humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, although like other Western countries it does not provide funding directly to the Taliban.
Over half of the country’s 40 million population needs assistance as they reel from one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
After visiting Afghanistan this month, Jan Egeland, the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, warned that funding cuts are “the biggest threat to programs helping Afghan women”. The Taliban has banned women from education, employment in most sectors, and any public roles.
The Taliban has said it hoped for “a new chapter” in relations but senior figures in the Trump administration have long advocated an uncompromising approach toward the Islamist militant group.
Trump Will Have ‘Unpleasant Surprise’ For Serbia
Bosko Jaksic, Belgrade-based foreign policy commentator, told RFE/RL Trump might not be good news for Serbia.
"I expect an unpleasant surprise for officials in Belgrade, who have shown great favor towards Trump and believe they will now be able to capitalize on it, because it may turn out that they have been mistaken,” he said.
Jaksic said there might be more U.S. investment but only if there was a reduction of Chinese presence in the Serbian economy.
Trump Arrives At Capitol
- By RFE/RL
President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have arrived at the Capitol having shared the same ride through the streets of Washington, D.C.