(Bloomberg) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the presidential election and called for stable ties between the world’s two largest economies.
The Chinese leader sent a congratulatory message to the the president-elect and expressed his desire to keep relations “healthy and sustainable,” state broadcaster China Central Television reported Thursday. CNN had said that Xi and the Republican held a phone call, citing people it didn’t identify, though it’s unclear that happened.
China and the US should “find a way to get along correctly in the new era, which will benefit both countries and the world,” Xi added. The Chinese leader sometimes refers to a fresh era for China that creates an opening for his nation to become more influential globally while the US declines.
Beijing typically congratulates the winner of US presidential votes promptly, except when President Joe Biden won in 2020. China was one of the few countries that withheld comment for days as Trump contested the results.
The early, fairly warm comments from Beijing contrast with the testy relationship Trump had with China during his first term. A trade war erupted in 2018 and Trump has threatened to hit Chinese shipments with 60% levies once he returns to office, a move that would damage trade between the world’s two biggest economies.
Trump also angered China with racist rhetoric during the pandemic, though he later said he’d stop using the term “Chinese virus.”
China’s Foreign Ministry also commended Trump on his win over Kamala Harris. “We respect the choice of the American people and congratulate Mr. Trump on being elected as president of the United States,” a spokesperson said, to a statement late Wednesday night.
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