TheCable

The Chinese government has finally congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on wining the United States election — respectively — as president-elect and vice-president elect.

Bloomberg quoted Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry, as extending the greetings at a briefing on Friday.

“We have been following the reaction on this U.S. presidential election from both within the United States and from the international community,” she said.

“We respect the American people’s choice and extend congratulations to Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris.”

Biden won the presidential election after securing more majority votes and electoral votes than President Donald Trump.

But while world leaders congratulated him, China remained silent, reportedly fearing retaliation from Trump who is contesting the outcome in court.

On Monday, Wenbin evaded a question on when China would congratulate Biden, saying instead that China would act in “accordance with international practice”.

“We understand that the outcome of the general election will be determined in accordance with the laws and procedures of the United States,” she had said.

China Daily, the state-run media outlet, had in its editorial expressed optimism that China-US relationship — which has continued to deteriorate under Trump — could be “reset for the better”.