{Editor’s Notes: China, from the government to businesses to individuals, watched the U.S. presidential election intensively. Beijing worried that a Trump’s victory might lead to harsher U.S. policies against China. Chinese markets and business are concerned about potential tariff hikes on Chinese goods. Ordinary Chinese citizens have followed the election with interest since they don’t have a real election to follow in China. The following are a some reactions among Chinese to the U.S. election outcome.}
Chinese Government
On November 7, 2024, Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Donald Trump on his election as President of the United States. {1} His message stated:
“History has shown that cooperation between China and the United States benefits both, while confrontation harms both. A stable, healthy, and sustainable Sino-U.S. relationship serves the shared interests of both countries and meets the expectations of the international community. (We) hope that both sides, upholding principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, will strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, and find a path to positive Sino-U.S. relations in the new era, bringing benefits to both countries and the world.”
Comparing to his congratulatory message to Trump in 2016, Xi’s message this time didn’t have China’s “confidence” as being a world economy and political super leader. {2}
In his congratulatory message in 2016, Xi Jinping noted that China and the U.S. are, respectively, the world’s largest developing country and the largest developed country, as well as the world’s two largest economies. “China and the United States share a unique and important responsibility in maintaining world peace and stability and promoting global development and prosperity.” Xi emphasized in 2016 that “developing a long-term, healthy, and stable China-U.S. relationship aligns with the fundamental interests of the people of both countries and is widely expected by the international community.” Xi expressed his “high regard for Sino-U.S. relations” and “looked forward to working with President Trump to uphold the principles of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation. He aims to expand cooperation between the two countries at bilateral, regional, and global levels, manage differences constructively, and advance Sino-U.S. relations from a new starting point for greater progress, benefiting the people of both countries and the wider world.”
The Epoch Times reported that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) once gathered a group of expert to analyze Trump. {3}
Du Wen, former legal advisor to Hu Chunhua (胡春华), said that a top leader in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had angrily criticized Trump. The official reportedly said that, while Trump has praised Xi Jinping to the skies both in person and behind his back, in reality Trump has fiercely attacked the CCP and Xi. “Trump stabs us in the back, and all his aims are our vulnerable spots.”
The Chinese authorities considered Trump to be “unpredictable, uncontrollable, and unfathomable.” It once arranged a group of experts to analyze Trump using a lot of reliable intelligence. They concluded that Trump had a very high IQ, far surpassing that of an average person. The experts’ opinion was that while Trump may appear very unreliable, in reality, he is quite reliable. His thinking process is just different from that of normal people. However, his decision is still driven by interests, meaning that he will never do something that harms his own interests.
Chinese Media
The major CCP mouthpieces did not talk too much about the U.S. election.
Among the limited coverage, Xinhua News Agency published a commentary series titled “Spotlight on the U.S. Election,” a few days before the election day. It suggested that U.S. has many hard-to-solve problems that the presidential candidates tried to avoid during their election campaigns, or that the candidates only talked about to get votes but won’t take meaningful actions on after winning the election. {4}
Chinese Central Television (CCTV) published an article calling the U.S. election a “fighting chaos among five Presidents,” mentioning that 5 current or former presidents that have been politically active during this election cycle: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barak Obama, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter. {5}
CCTV on Biden and Harris
The articles said that, of the two original presidential candidates (Biden and Trump), one is “out, but not entirely out,” and the other one “has survived three assassination attempts, narrowly escaping physical elimination.” Additionally, “three former presidents entered the race, adding to the chaos.”
Kamala Harris hosted her largest campaign gathering at the White House’ meadow on the evening of October 29. However, President Biden stayed inside the White House all night, not coming out to meet with Democratic supporters outside. When a reporter asked Biden why he didn’t make an appearance at the gathering outside the gates, Biden replied that he “didn’t want to steal Harris’s spotlight.”
The articles mentioned a controversy following a comedian’s comic routine at a Trump rally which referred to Puerto Rico as an “island of garbage.” Soon after the rally, Biden stated “the only garbage I see floating out there is his (Trump’s) supporters.”
The article mentioned that Harris and her team had been actively working to distance themselves from Biden. Harris stated, “It is time for a new generation of leadership in America.”
CCTV on Trump
According to CCTV, the Trump campaign did everything it could to link Harris to Biden. Trump: “Biden became mentally impaired, sad. But lyin’ Kamala Harris? Honestly, I believe she was born that way”
CCTV on Obama
According to CCTV, former president Barak Obama blamed black men for not voting for Harris: “Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that.”
The CCTV said that Black American voters reacted with the following sentiment: Why can (the Democrat party) so blatantly try to manipulate us on TV? Just because we look the same, does that mean I have to vote for them? This is racism. They’re sending out Obama to pull us all back onto the Democratic plantation.
CCTV on Clinton
CCTV reported that “Trump has consistently refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the last election, and now Americans are discovering that former President Clinton is also casting doubt on the fairness of this current election’s vote count.” When NBC News asked about what would decide the election outcome, Clinton responded, “Who wants it bad enough and whether we can get an honest, open count.” The CCTV article posed the question “With both parties questioning the election, even if there is a result, can the American people trust it?”
CCTV on Carter
“Images of the 100-year-old former President Carter assisting the (Harris) campaign speak louder than words. Nine years ago, cancer cells invaded Carter’s brain, causing him to gradually lose his ability to think and communicate normally. Nineteen months ago, Carter entered hospice care. However, according to Carter’s grandson, the elderly man’s final wish was to hold on until the day he could cast his vote for Harris.”
Comments and reactions to the CCTV article
The following are among some reactions seen to the CCTV article on the U.S. election.
“On the Democratic side, even centenarian (former President carter) is being ‘put to good use’; on the Republican side, they’re pushing the boundaries of ‘buying votes’ with a reckless try: Trump supporter Elon Musk has been throwing money around in swing states, giving every new voter $47, and offering a $1 million prize every day to one lucky person.”
“Previously, the world wondered how a superpower (the U.S.) could elect such a president (editor’s note: referring to Trump’s win in 2016). Now, as former presidents make a ‘comeback,’ we realize that Biden isn’t the only one prone to gaffes. It’s not just Trump who stirs populism, fuels racial divisions, and questions the legitimacy of elections. Within the Republican Party, Trump reigns over the party with extreme rhetoric and controversy at full throttle; within the Democratic Party, numerous factions fought against each other. Whether they are presidents or not, anyone who enters today’s U.S. political arena ends up like this. So, what’s the difference in who Americans choose as president?”
Chinese Stock Market, Foreign Exchange, and Business
Trump’s victory created a new sense of uncertainty among Chinese investors, leading to a drop in the RMB exchange rate and turbulence in the stock markets in both China and Hong Kong. On the morning of November 7, the offshore RMB to USD exchange rate fell by nearly 1,000 points, reaching 7.19, and the decline moderated slightly by the afternoon, still dropping over one percentage point. The onshore RMB to USD exchange rate opened at 7.1264, dropped sharply around noon, and closed at 7.1576, a decrease of 521 points. According to Reuters, major state-owned banks in China intervened in the market by selling USD to prevent the RMB from depreciating too quickly. {6}
Many stock investors found it amusing that the Chinese company “Chuan Da Zhisheng” (川大智胜), whose name is a homophone for Trump’s Chinese translation “Chuan Pu” (川普), became a “Trump stock.” On November 6, the stock went up 10 percent and its trading was halted (for moving up too fast) twice, with a trading volume close to 1.4 billion yuan. This company’s main business includes 3D facial recognition systems and air traffic control systems, having nothing to do with Trump at all.
Another company, Zhejiang-based teapot manufacturer Hars (哈尔斯), whose name is similar to Harris (哈里斯), saw its stock price drop more than 7 percent on October 6, with a turnover rate of over 26 percent.
Trump’s tariff strategy has caused concern among Chinese factory owners and officials, with estimates suggesting that these tariffs will affect approximately $500 billion in annual exports. Trade tensions between the EU and China are also escalating. Data shows that Chinese merchants have been ramping up exports before the tariff hikes. According to data released by China’s General Administration of Customs on November 7, China’s exports in October grew by 12.7 percent, reaching $309 billion. This growth rate was much higher than the 2.4 percent increase in September. China’s exports to the United States grew by 8.1 percent year-on-year in October, while exports to Europe increased by 12.7 percent.
Chinese People
Chinese people’s interest in the U.S. election has surged. By November 6, the search term “U.S. Election” on Chinese social media site Weibo had reached 15.03 billion views and 3.89 million discussions. Many netizens, while commenting on the U.S. election, expressed admiration for the American electoral system. {7}
Endnotes:
{1} China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry website, “Xi Jinping Sends Congratulatory Message to U.S. President-Elect Trump,” November 7, 2024.
https://www.mfa.gov.cn/zyxw/202411/t20241107_11522704.shtml.
{2} Xinhua, “Xi Jinping Sends Congratulatory Message to U.S. President-Elect Trump,” November 9, 2016.
http://www.xinhuanet.com//world/2016-11/09/c_1119882357.htm.
{3} Epoch Times, “Du Wen: Chinese Officials Call Trump ‘Unpredictable and Uncontrollable,’” November 6, 2024.
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/11/6/n14365973.htm.
{4} Chinascope, “Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election,” November 2. 2024.
http://chinascope.org/archives/36200.
{5} CCTV, “Final Sprint of the U.S. Election: A Fighting Mess Among Five Presidents,” November 4, 2024.
https://content-static.cctvnews.cctv.com/snow-book/index.html?item_id=7017215495544654151.
{6} VOA, “Trump’s Historic Re-election Leads to Surge in U.S. Stock Market, But Chinese Stocks Decline Instead of Rising,” November 7, 2024.
https://www.voachinese.com/a/trump-won-election-china-stock-markets/7854230.html.
{7} Epoch Times, “The ‘U.S. Election’ topic has become extremely popular on Weibo, reaching 15 billion views on the hot search list,” November 5, 2024.
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/11/5/n14365095.htm.