China on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential election, hoping for “peaceful coexistence” with the United States.
“We respect the choice of the American people and extend our congratulations to Mr. Trump on his election to the American presidency,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement.
“We will continue to approach and manage China-US relations on the basis of the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation,” Mao Ning, a ministry spokeswoman, said earlier in the day. from a press briefing when Mr. Trump’s victory was still only announced by the projections.
Asked whether Chinese President Xi Jinping would call Donald Trump to congratulate him, she said China would act “in accordance with usual practices” and “after the results are published and officially announced.”
As elsewhere in the world, the election was closely followed in China.
On the Chinese social network Weibo, similar to X, Donald Trump’s victory was among the most discussed topics.
“Congratulations to Donald Trump! Focus on building your beautiful country and stop thinking about meddling in the affairs of other nations,” wrote one user.
“Trade war”
The two candidates both campaigned on promises to be tougher on Beijing.
“The trade war begins,” wrote a user of another Chinese social network, Xiaohongshu, China’s equivalent of Instagram.
“My family works in international business and their world just fell apart,” another user wrote on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.
In the streets of Beijing on Wednesday afternoon, several people told AFP that they did not care about an American election which, according to them, was “none of their business”.
Others said they only knew Donald Trump through his gestures during his rallies. A young man on a cigarette break insisted on doing an imitation of one of the billionaire’s favorite dance steps.
But other Chinese said they were carefully following the prospect of a second term for Donald Trump.
“Whatever sector of activity, people are interested in what he says, and what will happen to China if he comes to power,” a man who works in a insurance company and asks to remain anonymous.
Donald Trump has promised to impose 60% tariffs on all Chinese products imported into the United States.
“Only four years”
“It will certainly be difficult for companies that trade internationally,” said the person interviewed by AFP.
But even if Donald Trump “provokes” China, it doesn’t really matter according to him because “he’s only there for four years, right? “, he emphasizes.
Analysts expect a Chinese economic stimulus plan, which could be announced this week after a meeting of Parliament, to be more important with a Donald Trump victory, given the trade frictions that it could trigger.
“I think there will be more turbulence, more conflicts, more uncertainties and even more risks in Sino-American relations over the next four years,” Wu Xinbo, director of the Center, told AFP. of American Studies from Fudan University in Shanghai.
China never comments on other countries’ election campaigns, saying it does not want to interfere in their internal affairs. But she is opposed to being named as an opponent in campaign themes.
During his first term, Donald Trump launched a bitter trade war with China, imposing very high tariffs on Chinese goods.
He said he was acting in reaction to what he considered unfair practices by Beijing, accusing it of theft of American technology and manipulation of the Chinese currency.
Under his successor Joe Biden, relations hit a decades-long low, after Washington imposed steep new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, electric vehicle batteries and photovoltaic cells.
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