Donald Trump’s plans to visit China within 100 days in office may pose a “real diplomatic dilemma” for Beijing, but is “highly possible”, according to observers.
Such a trip would be a nod to the importance of stabilising ties between the world’s top two economies, and China “would actively consider it”, a Chinese academic said.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported last week that Trump had told advisers he wanted to travel to China after taking office – as he sought to deepen a relationship “strained” by his threats of higher tariffs on Chinese imports.
The US president-elect will be sworn into office on Monday, and the South China Morning Post will run a live blog of the inauguration ceremony.
The WSJ report followed a phone call between the two leaders on Friday, when they discussed issues ranging from short-video app TikTok to fentanyl and trade, according to Trump, who said the call was “a very good one”.
Lu Xiang, a US-China relations specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that a visit by a head of state to China typically required six months or more of groundwork.
Still, a visit could be arranged “as soon as possible”, Lu said, if both sides were less demanding in terms of protocol.
