XML (XHR) invalid characters issue

When I export the entire content of the Wordpress site (the XHR file) I see no posts to import, but other things import OK such as categories and tags. Note the export file size is 108MB

When I export posts only, limited to a date range, I see posts to import, but no categories or tags. Note export file size is 15MB

The attached image shows this.

There are approx 5,000 posts. I do not need to import them all but I see no way to export all content with a date range.

Any ideas appreciated. Thanks!

Nov 2021 update: xml lint can detect some of these problems. See #3248042: Add XML Lint to check the WordPress exports → for an idea about how to build in better support for this.

• https://packagist.org/packages/sclable/xml-lint
• http://xmlsoft.org/xmllint.html