A file photo of Chinese and U.S. national flags. /CFP

At the invitation of the U.S. side, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Vice President Han Zheng, will attend the inauguration of Donald Trump as U.S. president on January 20 in Washington, D.C., a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.

In a statement, the spokesperson said China follows the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation in viewing and growing its relationship with the United States. 

"We stand ready to work with the new U.S. government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship, and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other," said the spokesperson.