Why did Beijing take so long to congratulate Biden?

It is unclear why China delayed congratulating Joe Biden; it has not offered an explanation.

The closest Beijing came to revealing its thinking was on Monday when a foreign ministry spokesman said China was following international customary practices.

Maybe China did not want to congratulate Mr Biden, only for Mr Trump then to unexpectedly win.

But with other countries acknowledging Mr Biden’s victory, Beijing perhaps did not want to delay any longer and risk getting off on the wrong foot with the president-elect.

China will be hoping to reset its relations with the US, but there is little prospect of a major shift in the way Washington views Beijing.

Mr Biden might be more predictable than Mr Trump, and more willing to engage of global problems, such as climate change, but the mood towards China across America has become more negative.

On the campaign trail, Mr Biden even referred to China’s leader, Xi Jinping, as a “thug”. That word alone will have lowered Beijing’s expectations.

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Beijing

Joe Biden

US election 2020