VP Han Zheng, China’s representative at Trump’s inauguration, is a trusted adviser to Xi

Vice President Han Zheng meets with U.S. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance (right) in Washington yesterday

Vice President Han Zheng, China’s representative at Donald Trump’s inauguration, is a trusted adviser to President Xi Jinping, a long-time survivor of Chinese politics who rose from toiling on a collective farm and in factories to becoming one of the most powerful people in the country.

China’s decision to send Han, rather than its ambassador to Washington as is usual, appears to be a carefully calibrated signal that it is willing to improve relations with the U.S., while not leaving Xi exposed to criticism should ties worsen.

Many of the most divisive bilateral issues involve trade, with Trump threatening to impose 60% tariffs on imports from China, but relations have also frayed over technology and China’s moves to assert its territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Like many young Chinese, Han was sent to the countryside during the Cultural Revolution to “learn from the peasants” on orders from then-leader Mao Zedong. Many on their return to the cities found jobs in state-run industries.

Han, 70, rose up the ranks in the financial center of Shanghai during the 1980s and 1990s, just as China’s economy was catching fire, concurrently holding Communist Party and managerial positions in the chemical and rubber industries.

There he caught the eye of senior leaders and was elevated to district-level governance before becoming the city’s mayor and then party secretary, the city’s highest position, following a financial scandal involving his predecessor. Xi had briefly held the position after the scandal, giving Han access to him before him became China’s new leader.

In 2017, Han reached the apex of Chinese political power, the party’s seven-member Politburo Standing Committee, and after serving one five-year term was given the position of vice president, a position Xi has imbued with new weight as adviser and envoy.

Throughout his career, Han has shown a flair for low-key diplomacy, helping to deal with unrest in Hong Kong and attending numerous international events such as the United Nations General Assembly.

Yesterday [Macau time], Han met with U.S. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and U.S. business leaders, including Elon Musk, in Washington on the eve of the inauguration.

Han Zheng, who serves as an envoy for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the inauguration, “discussed a range of topics including fentanyl, balancing trade and regional stability” with J.D. Vance, according to the Trump transition team.

Han stressed the “extensive common interests and enormous space of cooperation” the United States and China share in economic and trade relations despite “some disagreements and frictions,” according to a readout of his meeting with Vance issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry yesterday.

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs and other measures against China in his second term, while also hinting and ways in which the two rival powers could cooperate on issues such as regional conflicts and curbing the export of substances used in the production of fentanyl.

In an unorthodox move, Trump last month invited Xi to his inauguration. No head of state has previously made an official visit to the U.S. for the inauguration, according to State Department historical records.

While Xi will not personally attend the event, he and Trump held a phone call last week during which they discussed trade, fentanyl and TikTok. The Chinese social media app restored service to users in the U.S. yesterday, just hours after it went dark in response to a federal ban, which Trump said he would pause by executive order yesterday.

Han also met with Musk and other top U.S. business executives, including representatives of the U.S.-China Business Council and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C., according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The Chinese vice president reiterated promises for an improved business environment for foreign firms in China and expressed hopes that U.S. companies will continue expanding investment in the country.

Musk, whose company Tesla operates a factory in Shanghai, posted on his platform X after the meeting that he has long opposed the TikTok ban “because it goes against freedom of speech.”

“That said, the current situation where TikTok is allowed to operate in America, but X is not allowed to operate in China is unbalanced,” he wrote. “Something needs to change.”

X is banned in China alongside other major U.S. social media and news apps and websites, including YouTube, Google, Facebook and many major U.S. media. MDT/AP