SINGAPORE: China is “breaking precedent” by sending Vice President Han Zheng to Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration, making him the most senior leader in Chinese history to attend the event.

Analysts say he is a “safe choice”, senior enough to “show face” even though Trump’s invite was extended to President Xi Jinping who, as expected, will be absent. 

Political watchers also note that it is rare for heads of state to attend US presidential inaugurations, largely considered domestic events. 

“We haven't had a senior Chinese envoy come to any of the inauguration,” Dennis Wilder, a former White House China adviser currently a professor at Georgetown University, told CNA, adding that it has "always been Chinese ambassadors" representing the country.

He adds: “We are breaking precedent with this. In that sense, it's quite interesting.”

SENIOR ENOUGH BUT NOT PART OF XI’S INNER CIRCLE 

Born in Shanghai in 1954, the 70-year-old Han has served as China’s vice president since 2023. 

He stood as the seventh-ranking member of China’s powerful Politburo Standing Committee between 2017 and 2022 and previously held top-ranking positions like vice premier, Communist Party deputy secretary and mayor of Shanghai. 

He will travel with a high-level envoy from Beijing to witness Trump’s swearing in on Monday (Jan 20).

He’s considered familiar and capable enough to handle complex Sino-US conversations, but also not too close to President Xi’s personal network that a protocol miscue would tarnish the party’s prestige. 

Han fits the bill and is a “safer choice,” says Hoo Tiang Boon, an associate professor at Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) School of Social Sciences.