Chinese social media users slam Trump, ridicule messy US election
BEIJING Chinese social media users watched election day in the US with bemusement and mockery, as President Donald Trump complained of a "major fraud on our nation" and falsely claimed victory before millions of votes had been tallied.
"Whether he wins or loses, his final mission is to destroy the appearance of American democracy," one user on China's Weibo platform said yesterday.
"Let Trump be re-elected and take the US downhill," another wrote, while a third likened his premature declaration of victory to claiming the pot in a game of mahjong before the round is finished.
Relations between China and the US are at their worst in decades over disputes ranging from technology and trade to Hong Kong and the coronavirus, and the Trump administration has unleashed a barrage of sanctions against Beijing.
"This kind of unrest is usually (a) complication of elections in poor countries, but people are worried it may appear in the US. The US is in degradation," tweeted Mr Hu Xijin, editor of the Global Times, a nationalistic tabloid published by the Communist Party's People's Daily.
He later mocked pre-election polling that predicted a stronger showing by rival Joe Biden.
A popular meme circulating online showed an electoral map in the shape of China, coloured red to show Mr Trump had 270 electoral votes. Many who shared the image believe a Trump win would mean chaos for the US, to China's benefit.
Beijing has not expressed a preference in the race.
"The US election is a domestic affair," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said yesterday.
- REUTERS
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