We have officially responded! Regarding whether to invite Trump to our September military parade in Beijing, our Foreign Ministry has responded! On June 30, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated that at the press conference held by the State Council Information Office last week, relevant departments introduced the situation and arrangements for inviting foreign leaders to the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan. As for the specific question you mentioned, I currently do not have any information to provide.

It is obvious that our Foreign Ministry personnel's statement on whether to invite Trump was "no information to provide," but what does this mean? This means that Trump may or may not be invited, or there could be other situations, such as us making an invitation but Trump possibly not attending, etc. However, in some sense, the possibility of us inviting Trump to attend still exists.

According to convention, we will invite foreign leaders to our commemorative activities. As an ally in the anti-fascist war, the United States is certainly on our list of invitations. In fact, during the 70th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan, the U.S. government sent the then U.S. Ambassador to China, Max Baucus, to attend, and there were also representatives of American Flying Tigers veterans invited to attend. Of course, our invitation is one side, and we must also realize that whether Trump attends may involve a rather complex situation.

Firstly, it is unprecedented for the U.S. president to attend our related events. Secondly, there are considerable practical difficulties in Sino-U.S. relations, and attending such a grand ceremony would more represent the easing of Sino-U.S. relations and a shift in the way the U.S. deals with us. Therefore, unless the U.S. is prepared to bring Sino-U.S. relations back to a healthy and positive track, the probability of Trump attending is relatively low. Whether Trump will attend depends on whether the way the U.S. deals with us will undergo a significant change.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836342428852298/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.