Thursday, March 28, 2024

China offers belated congratulations to US President-elect Joe Biden

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Alan Binder
Alan Binder
"Alcohol scholar. Twitter lover. Zombieaholic. Hipster-friendly coffee fanatic."

Speaking at a regular press conference Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China “respects the choice of the American people.”

“We congratulate Mr. Biden and Mrs. Harris. At the same time, we understand that the outcome of these American elections will be confirmed in accordance with American laws and procedures,” he said.

Come four days after Wang Avoid questions from CNN On when China congratulates the US president-elect on his victory, leaving many to speculate on whether officials are waiting for Donald Trump to officially abdicate.

At the time, Wang said they had “noticed” Biden’s victory. “We will deal with the issue of the statement (of congratulations) in accordance with international practices,” Wang said on Monday.

China is one of the last major countries to offer congratulations to President-elect Biden and his team on their victory. Many countries have already welcomed the new American leader, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Israel, France and Germany.

In 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping offered his congratulations to then-president-elect Trump just one day after he was declared the winner.

Chinese state-run media have so far been cautious in their handling of Biden’s victory compared to their increasingly sharp tone toward the Trump administration, amid an ongoing deterioration in bilateral ties.

While some media outlets published profiles of Biden or highlighted the iconic Beijing restaurant he visited in 2011, most Chinese media outlets focused their coverage after the US election on the alleged fraud and the turmoil that followed.

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Experts suggested that Beijing may have been reluctant to do anything that would risk alienating the outgoing US administration in recent months in power.

In Thursday’s editorial, China Daily State newspaper He said that the “foreign leaders’ eagerness to congratulate Biden shows that they want to” turn their backs on the current administration and its contentious policies. “

“China is always ready to work with the United States to manage their differences. Whoever is in the White House must view the regional situation objectively,” the editorial said.

An article in the state-run Global Times described Biden as old friend” In China. Editorial in the newspaper Published Sunday After Biden’s victory, she said that while the newspaper hopes for better relations between Washington and Beijing under Biden, in the end, China can only trust itself.

“China must become a country that the United States cannot suppress or destabilize, and make it that cooperation with China is the best option for the United States to achieve its national interests. This is the ultimate principle,” the editorial said.

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