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.

Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng has held talks with the US vice-president-elect J.D. Vance and tech billionaire Elon Musk at separate meetings in Washington ahead of Donald Trump's inauguration, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to a "long and fruitful" relationship.

China's Vice President Han Zheng met on Sunday with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other members of the U.S. business community in Washington D.C., the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday. Han told Musk he "welcomed Tesla and other U.