China's Vice-President Han Zheng (left) and Ambassador to the US Xie Feng arriving for US President Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington on Jan 20. - AFP
BEIJING: As Vice-President Han Zheng and Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng watched in a corner of the Capitol rotunda while Donald Trump was sworn in, China was hoping that their presence in Washington would signal a proactive reset of the tumultuous relationship.
But with the experience of Trump’s first tenure in the White House still very much alive, the Chinese leadership is under no illusion that there will be much of a honeymoon period this time around.
