Biden Gets Muted Reaction in China With Trump-Era Rift to Endure
- Foreign Ministry sidesteps questions on election, trade
- Shift on China policy likely to be more style over substance
Unlike Donald Trump, whom Chinese officials had little knowledge of before he took office, Joe Biden is well known in Beijing. But that history is unlikely to quickly repair a relationship between the global powers that has fundamentally changed over the past four years.
China’s official reaction to Biden’s election victory has been relatively muted, with no public congratulations from President Xi Jinping. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave mostly vague answers at a daily briefing on Monday, saying that it hoped the new administration would “work in the same direction as us going forward” -- but sidestepping questions about the trade deal, what tangible moves China expected from Biden and Beijing’s stance on relations with the U.S.