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Chinese Enthusiastic About U.S. Presidential Election 

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Chinese people are showing great interest in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, much more so than their concern for previous elections. At the same time, Chinese authorities tried to play it down and appear indifferent to the election result.

Chinese netizens inside China have been discussing and sharing their opinions about the U.S. presidential election on a variety of social media platforms, some even made efforts to break through the Great Firewall to join the discussions on Facebook and Twitter. Chinese state media admitted that Chinese had never shown such enthusiasm in U.S. elections before.

Beijing-based China current affairs commentator Hua Po told NTD TV that the intense competition between Trump and Biden on the election night has made many Chinese nervous and anxious.

Hua Po, a Beijing-based China current affairs commentator, said:“I myself am one of those people. I have been observing the dynamics of the U.S. election in the past two days. The ballot outcome is like a roller coaster, and I was following it with all my heart.”

Chinese constitutional scholar Chen Yongmiao believes that Chinese are paying so much attention because this year’s U.S. election is closely related to China’s future.

Chen Yongmiao, a Chinese constitutional scholar said: “Many Chinese are saying, if Joe Biden is elected, the CCP is winning the battle, if it’s Donald Trump, the Chinese people are winning the battle. So the election is just like a final battle between the free world and an authoritarian world, and this battle is not fought in Taiwan or Hong Kong. Instead, it is fought on the U.S. soil. That’s why mainland Chinese are eager to see the final result.”

Chinese citizen Mr. Hong confirmed that people he knows of are indeed much more interested in the ongoing U.S. election than four years ago. He also revealed that many Chinese hope the newly elected president will take a tough stance on the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. Hong, a Chinese citizen said:“That is also my hope. I am sure that someday in the future China will also adopt the same election method that the United States is carrying out. So when we are paying attention to this election, we are also learning from the most advanced and developed country in the world.”

However, there are two opposing views among Chinese people. Hua Po said:“Fanatic nationalists, such as the little pinks (pro-CCP youths), are very much afraid that Trump will be reelected. Those who oppose the CCP are just the opposite. For them, living under the CCP’s rule is a big tragedy. They hope that President Trump will be elected for a second term, so that he can continue to be tough on the CCP. They even hope that President Trump can put an end to the CCP.”

Chen Yongmiao said he hopes Trump will win the election, because Joe Biden has a close relationship with the CCP, while President Trump’s decision to decouple the United States from China is the only hope for China to have a positive change.

Mr. Hong calls on whoever is elected to be the next president to take an even tougher stance against the CCP. Mr. Hong said: “No more illusory hope for the CCP. More importantly, no more shady dealings with the CCP. Those who are doing it are betraying America’s national interests, and at the same time harming the interests of us Chinese people.”

As of 10 a.m. on Nov. 5, the number of keyword searches for “U.S. Election” on Chinese social media Weibo exceeded 6.3 billion, far exceeding the number of searches for the hottest topic on the previous day, which was “Ant Group suspended its listing”, but “U.S. Election” only ranked 11th in the hot topics list. Hong Kong media pointed out that apparently Weibo is artificially manipulating rankings and deliberately downplaying Chinese netizens’ interest in the U.S. election.

Chinese state media did not provide much coverage of the U.S. election. They also seem to avoid taking political positions as there were very limited comments on the two presidential candidates. However, these state media exaggerated the post-election unrest and the so-called “money politics” in U.S. elections. Chinese authorities attempt to denigrate the democratic systems in Western countries with the term “money politics,” claiming that only wealthy people have the money to run for important positions.

Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claimed on Nov. 4 that “China does not hold a position on the U.S. election.” But in fact, the CCP may be one of the most concerned regimes in the world about the outcome of the U.S. election. The U.S.-China trade war and the tensions caused by the CCP virus have brought the U.S.-China relations to the worst point since 1979.

Hua Po said: “The CCP deliberately kept a low-key attitude on the U.S. election, because how to deal with China is one of the major issues in this election. So the CCP is unwilling to proactively discuss the election, so as to prevent it from being a hot discussion inside China.”

On Nov. 5, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng finally made a first official comment about China’s attitude toward the election, saying that China hopes the new U.S. administration will uphold “a principle of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation.”

Focus News: Chinese Enthusiastic About U.S. Presidential Election 

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