BEIJING: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with tech tycoon Elon Musk and urged US firms to "seize the opportunity" to deepen economic ties with China, Beijing's state media said on Monday (Jan 20).

Chinese leader Xi Jinping may not have personally accepted US President-elect Donald Trump’s invitation to his inauguration, but Beijing has taken the rare step of dispatching a top official to join the swearing-in ceremony in Washington.

China’s vice president has held meetings with the U.S. vice president-elect and business leaders including Elon Musk on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration

Chinese officials and ordinary people are hopeful but on edge as Donald Trump returns to the White House, eager to avoid a repeat of the bruising trade war that drove a wedge between the economic superpowers during his first term.

Elon Musk has objected to a lack of reciprocity in the US-China tech relationship, a rare criticism from the billionaire on issues sensitive to Beijing after US president-elect Donald Trump prepared to offer a reprieve to TikTok on a ban in the US.

Live updates ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Follow the latest news as the incoming president attends events ahead of tomorrow’s ceremony.

Han Zheng, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s envoy at Trump’s Inauguration, discussed fentanyl, trade, and technology with Vance and Musk.

Han has used the visit to meet with members of the American business community, including Tesla CEO and close Trump associate Elon Musk, according to Chinese state agency Xinhua. Musk is widely thought to be seen by Beijing as more sympathetic to its interests than others in Trump’s orbit.

The crowded scene in the Capitol Rotunda on Inauguration Day featured four of the world's five wealthiest men, five U.S. presidents, influential sporting figures and two foreign leaders with prime seats on the dais.

The billionaire complained on his platform X after the meeting about X being banned in China while TikTok is allowed to operate in America.

In a telephone call with Donald Trump last week, Chinese leader Xi Jinping dropped a few breadcrumbs for the deal-obsessed US President.