Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at the regular briefing on Nov. 4 that the US midterm elections are an internal affair of the United States, adding that China will work to implement the important consensus between the two heads of state and strengthen communication.
According to Huanqiu (Global Times online), a reporter at the Nov. 4 briefing asked how China views the just-concluded US congressional midterms and whether the vote would open new opportunities for China-US relations. Mao Ning answered briefly that the midterms are an internal affair of the United States.
광고 문의 · 300×250The same report says Mao said China is willing to work with the US to uphold and carry out the important consensus reached by the two presidents. The Huanqiu report we reviewed does not spell out the content of that consensus, and it could not be confirmed.
Three directions Beijing named
Mao said China will strengthen communication, handle differences properly and expand cooperation. She also said Beijing will push to build a constructive strategic stability relationship with the US based on respect, fairness and reciprocity. In effect, she avoided judging the election result and restated the principles of the relationship.
The question was framed around whether the election creates new opportunities, but according to the report the reply made no mention of any party or result. Treating another country's election as an internal matter and declining to comment is a long-standing pattern in Chinese diplomatic language.
The US side
In a separate report, Huanqiu said the analytics firm Decision Desk projected on the night of Nov. 3 that Democrats would win at least 51 of 100 Senate seats. US media had earlier projected Democrats retaking the House. These are projections, and we could not confirm final certified results.
Huanqiu also reported that President Donald Trump told Fox News by phone early on Nov. 4 that the veto is one of a president's most powerful tools, signalling he would veto bills from Democrats he considers crazy, and posted a photo of a red cap reading VETO. How Beijing's stance and the new US political map interact will be tested in the two sides' coming contacts.