On Wednesday, China and Taiwan both offered their congratulations to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te wrote on X at 6:30 a.m. EST: “Sincere congratulations to President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your victory. I’m confident that the longstanding #Taiwan-#US partnership, built on shared values & interests, will continue to serve as a cornerstone for regional stability & lead to greater prosperity for us all.”
At 11 a.m. EST, after it was reported that Vice President Kamala Harris would deliver a concession speech later Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng followed with his own note: “My warm congratulations to Mr. Trump @realDonaldTrump on his reelection as President of the United States! China looks forward to working with the U.S. side for a stable, sound and sustainable China-U.S. relationship.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry also posted this statement on its website: “We respect the choice of the American people and congratulate Mr. Trump on being elected as president of the United States.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has yet to make a statement. In 2016, Xi waited one day to congratulate Trump on his victory, and in 2020, he waited several weeks to congratulate U.S. President Joe Biden.
The warm messages from both the Chinese and Taiwanese governments so far stand in contrast to deep concerns in both places about the potential for the Trump presidency to destabilize their relationships with the United States, given Trump’s threat of 60 percent tariffs on China and his comments that Taiwan should pay the United States more for its military support.
This post is part of FP’s live coverage with global updates and analysis throughout the U.S. election. Follow along here.