China expects to strengthen dialogue and develop cooperation with Washington under incoming administration of Joe Biden, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.
The Electoral College confirmed Biden as the next US president on Monday, with 306 electoral votes against incumbent Donald Trump's 232. The US Congress will certify the results on January 6.
'We have taken notice of the announcement of the US presidential election results. Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 25 sent a telegram to Mr. Biden and congratulated him on being elected to the office of US president. We presume that China and the US have to strengthen dialogue and contacts, promote cooperation in the spirit of non-confrontation, mutual respect and mutually beneficial partnership, resolve difference and facilitate healthy and stable development," Wang said at a briefing.
As Biden is set to occupy the White House for at least four years, many experts and officials around the globe speculated his presidency will represent a sharp break with Trump's foreign policy approach.
This is especially important for Beijing since under the Trump administration US-China relations have significantly deteriorated, with Washington accusing Beijing of unfair economic practices, human rights violations in some of its regions, encroachment on the special status of Hong Kong, and lack of transparency concerning the coronavirus pandemic.