After GSA confirmation: Chinese President also congratulates Biden on election victory

(Patria) - Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Joseph Biden on his election victory, reducing the number of heads of state who have not done so - including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Chinese state media reported that during a phone call, Xi told Biden that he hopes the two countries will cooperate 'in a spirit of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, to manage differences, promote the healthy and stable development of Chinese-American relations, and to join other countries and the international community in promoting the noble cause of world peace and development'.

Several world leaders, including German and British ones, congratulated Biden almost immediately after it was confirmed on November 8 that he had won the election, but it seems China waited for the US General Services Administration (GSA) to confirm the election outcome, as well as Trump's order to his team to cooperate in the transition process.

Media also reported that Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan congratulated Biden's running mate Kamala Harris on her victory.

The status of US-China relations that Biden will inherit from the previous administration differs greatly from the relations during the Obama administration when Biden served as Vice President, and when he met with Jinping on several occasions. The relationship between the two countries has since deteriorated to the point where some analysts believe it is impossible to return it to its previous level.

In the past 4 years, China and the US have clashed over trade, visas for journalists and diplomats, the coronavirus, human rights violations in the Xinjiang province, the suppression of civil protests in Hong Kong, as well as the friendly relations between the US and Taiwan, Reuters writes.

Jia Qingguo, a professor at the University of International Studies in Beijing, claims that the congratulatory message was delayed due to legal dilemmas: 'China did not want to express a stance prematurely, before the end of the US elections, which is a matter of courtesy'.

Professor Qingguo claims that Biden and Xi's acquaintance will help improve relations between the two countries: 'Although major changes should not be expected in the short term, the relationship between China and the US will become more stable in the long term, with more room for cooperation'.