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.

For Donald Trump’s inauguration, China is sending Vice President Han Zheng. This comes after the incoming US president invited Xi Jinping to attend the January 20 event — a break from tradition

Their attendance marks the first time world leaders have been present at a U.S. president’s swearing-in ceremony, a historian said.