Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s invitation to attend his inauguration. 

With inaugural festivities scheduled for Jan. 20, 2025, Xi was among the global leaders to whom Trump extended an invitation, citing an effort to create “dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too.” 

Although China’s ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, and additional Chinese officials will likely attend the swearing-in ceremony, Xi is not expected to make an appearance, according to a CBS report.

Xi’s appearance would have broken precedent, as no foreign head of state has ever attended an inauguration. 

There is still an opportunity for world leaders to make history, as Trump’s invitations to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Argentine President Javier Milei, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele remain open. 

The Chinese president’s move to decline the inauguration invitation follows strong signals he sent to the U.S. this week that he wants to strengthen relations between the two countries. 

Ahead of Trump’s second term in office, Xi urged China and the U.S. to “choose dialogue over confrontation, win-win cooperation over a zero-sum game” in a letter to the U.S.-China Business Council on Thursday. 

While maintaining a tough economic stance on China, with threats to enact massive tariffs on the country, Trump has often touted his friendly personal relationship with Xi. 

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“We have a good relationship with China. I have a good relationship,” Trump said during a CNBC interview Friday morning. 

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump team for comment on the president-elect’s inaugural invitation to Xi but did not receive a response.