China's Vice President Han Zheng met on Sunday with Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other members of the U.S. business community in Washington D.C., the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

Han told Musk he "welcomed Tesla and other U.S. companies to seize the opportunities and share in the benefits of China's development, and contribute to the growth of China-U.S. economic and trade relations," the report said.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the inauguration after winning last year's presidential election. Xi has sent Han in his place.