Chinese Vice President Han Zheng speaks at the opening ceremony of the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on Nov. 26, 2024.Kyodo News/Getty ImagesBy Associated PressJanuary 20, 2025 3:35 AM ESTBEIJING Chinas vice president held meetings with the U.S. vice president-elect and U.S. business leaders, including Elon Musk, in Washington on the eve of Donald Trumps inauguration, as the two major powers tackle ongoing tensions over trade and technology.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 on Monday.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 on Friday during which they discussed trade, fentanyl and TikTok. The Chinese social media app restored service to users in the U.S. on Sunday, just hours after it went dark in response to a federal ban, which Trump said he would pause by executive order on Monday.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.More Must-Reads from TIMEL.A. Fires Show Reality of 1.5C of WarmingHome Losses From L.A. Fires Hasten An Uninsurable FutureThe Women Refusing to Participate in Trumps EconomyBad Bunny On Heartbreak and New AlbumHow to Dress Warmly for Cold WeatherWere Lucky to Have Been Alive in the Age of David LynchThe Motivational Trick That Makes You Exercise HarderColumn: No One Won The War in GazaContact us at letters@time.com