The Communist Party waits. But the news of Joe Biden’s election runs on the Chinese web: last night 730 million views on Weibo and as many on WeChat. A comment was shared so much that it emerged: “Everyone is interested in the American event, but I don’t even know the name of the mayor of Shanghai”.
Xi Jinping – as well as Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart – has not yet congratulated Biden, despite knowing him well, having met him 11 times as vice president.
“We noticed that Mr. Biden was declared the winner of the elections”Foreign Minister Wang Wenbin’s spokesman told the press, reiterating the caution. “As far as we understand, the outcome of the election will be determined in accordance with the laws and procedures in force in the United States». More detachment than that, he could not express.
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The state press invites us to “not be under any illusions” about a return to business as usual. My offer “Competition without rivalry” and observes that China will not be silenced anyway. Shen Dingli, a keen student of US-China relations at Fudan University told us: “I imagine the new president will raise the pressure on the human rights front, Hong Kong and Xinjiang; instead we should look for space for new collaboration where we can: fight the coronavirus and climate change “. The professor is not optimistic but realistic: Biden will try to do what Trump failed to do, which is to stifle the rise of China. He knows well that the distance between the two superpowers is shrinking and no American leader, Republican or Democrat can accept overtaking ».
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China could try to renew the dialogue, buy time, imagining that after moderate Biden, who will be 82 in 2024, a president (or a president like Kamala Harris) could enter the White House young, more energetic and determined in the containment line. The feeling, speaking with academic sources in Beijing, is that the trust between the two sides is dead and buried. ps. The first greetings from Beijing came from the owner of Yaoji Chaogan, a noodles restaurant under the Drum Tower. Biden had been there for lunch in 2011. His photos are still on display. And since yesterday the queue of customers has returned … photographing the photos hanging on the walls.
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November 9, 2020 (change November 9, 2020 | 11:54 am)
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