China congratulates Biden on his victory, says 'we respect the choice of the American people'

(Image credit: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images)

China's government has been slower than most countries in recognizing President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, but early Friday — almost a week after U.S. news organizations called the race for Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris — Beijing issued a carefully worded congratulatory message. "We respect the choice of the American people," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing. "We congratulate Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris." He added, "At the same time, the result will be confirmed according to U.S. laws and procedures."

Biden has already been speaking with allied world leaders, and he and Pope Francis talked on the phone Thursday. But Beijing's cautious response was interpreted as either hedging its bets in case President Trump found some way to reverse the results, or perhaps expressing displeasure about the very idea of peaceful transfers of power. But the Chinese government hadn't entirely sat this out. About the time Biden was projected to be the winner, the state-run People's Daily tweeted a sassy response to Trump's claim of victory.

Trump has not conceded.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.