TAIPEI, Taiwan — The vice president of China recently engaged in discussions with the U.S. vice president-elect and influential American business figures, including Elon Musk, in Washington, D.C. This meeting occurred shortly before Donald Trump’s inauguration, amidst persistent tensions between the two nations over trade and technology matters.
Han Zheng, who is representing Chinese President Xi Jinping at the inauguration, met with J.D. Vance and covered a variety of subjects, such as fentanyl, trade balance, and regional stability, as reported by the Trump transition team. Han emphasized the “extensive common interests and enormous space for cooperation” that exist between the U.S. and China, even in light of “some disagreements and frictions,” based on a summary of his meeting provided by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Trump has indicated plans to impose tariffs and other actions against China during his second term, while also suggesting that collaboration is possible on topics like regional conflicts and addressing the export of materials used in fentanyl production. Notably, Trump made a unique invitation to Xi to attend his inauguration last month—an unprecedented move, as no foreign leader has ever officially visited the U.S. for an inauguration, according to historical State Department records.
While Xi will not be attending the event in person, he and Trump conducted a phone conversation on the preceding Friday, discussing issues of trade, fentanyl, and the social media platform TikTok. Following a federal ban that led to TikTok temporarily ceasing operations in the U.S., the app resumed service hours later, just as Trump signaled intentions to lift the ban through an executive order on Monday.
On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry praised TikTok for its role in creating employment opportunities within the U.S. Spokesperson Mao Ning stated, “We hope the U.S. will pay heed to rational voices and establish an open, fair, just, and non-discriminatory business climate for market participants from all countries operating in the U.S.”
In Washington, Han also met with Musk and other distinguished American business leaders, including members of the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as confirmed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The vice president reiterated China’s commitment to fostering a better business environment for foreign companies and expressed optimism about continued investments from American firms in China.
After the meeting, Musk, whose company Tesla has a manufacturing facility in Shanghai, shared his thoughts on platform X, stating his long-standing opposition to the TikTok ban as it contradicts principles of freedom of speech. However, he criticized the disparity in treatment, noting, “The current situation where TikTok is permitted to operate in America, yet X is not allowed in China, is unbalanced. Something must change.”
X, along with other significant U.S. social media and news applications such as YouTube, Google, and Facebook, is blocked in China.
