China congratulates Biden and Harris on election

Russia is another nation that has remained silent on Biden's win

xi-jinping-BRICs-Reuters China's President Xi Jinping greets the media prior to the BRICS summit in Brasilia, Brazil November 14, 2019 | Reuters

China, after a week of silence, on Friday congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden, who won the November 3 election. Incumbent President Donald Trump is yet to concede to Biden. "We respect the choice of the American people. We extend congratulations to Mr Biden and Ms Harris," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. "We understand the results of the US election will be determined according to US laws and procedures," he added, repeating Beijing's earlier stance.


Russia is another nation that has remained silent on Biden's win. US-China relations had grown increasingly strained under Donald Trump's regime, with Trump imposing trade sanctions on China, cracking down on China's mistreatment of Uighur Muslims and it imposing the national security law on Hong Kong. Beijing has been in an awkward position over Trump's refusal to accept defeat. In 2016, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent congratulations to Trump on November 9, a day after the election.


It is uncertain as to whether or not US-China relations will improve under Biden. During the Democratic primary debates, Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a 'thug'.
Biden leads the popular vote by more than five million. US election officials have maintained that there hasn't been any fraud or compromised ballots in the US elections. 

📣 The Week is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TheWeekmagazine) and stay updated with the latest headlines