Chinese V-P Han Zheng meets Elon Musk just before Trump takes office

WASHINGTON – Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng met billionaire Elon Musk and other US business figures, underscoring Beijing’s efforts to set a positive tone in ties with the US before President-elect Donald Trump returns to office.

Mr Han said US firms were welcome in China during the sit-down in Washington on Jan 19 with Mr Musk, who is Tesla’s chief executive and a member of the incoming administration.

Mr Han urged “American companies including Tesla to seize the opportunity, share the fruits of China’s development, and make new and greater contributions to promoting China-US economic and trade relations”, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Mr Han also met people from the US-China Business Council, the US Chamber of Commerce and “other business circles in Washington”, Xinhua reported on Jan 20.

Mr Han, whose position in the Chinese government is ceremonial and does not have a seat on the ruling Communist Party’s 24-member Politburo, is in Washington for Trump’s inauguration.

China is warily eyeing the return of Trump, whose first term in office was distinguished by a trade war that upset relations between the world’s two largest economies.

The fear is those tensions may be repeated, given that Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on shipments from the Asian country due to its trade practices.

China had a record trade surplus of nearly US$1 trillion (S$1.36 trillion) in 2024.

Mr Han also met Vice-President-elect J.D. Vance

on Jan 19 to discuss fentanyl and trade.

In that meeting, Mr Han said that although the two sides had their differences, there was space in which they could cooperate and should strengthen dialogue, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. BLOOMBERG