The key facts

  • China's Foreign Ministry called the elections an internal matter of the US and confirmed its readiness to cooperate
  • According to projections by American media, Democrats are set to win 53 Senate seats and a majority in the House of Representatives
  • The Xi Jinping–Trump meeting is expected at the end of the month in Shenzhen on the sidelines of the APEC summit

Beijing reacted to the election results

China on Wednesday called for building a 'constructive strategic relationship' with the United States after the midterm elections, which, according to preliminary data, ended in a major setback for President Donald Trump: Democrats, according to projections by American media, are set to take control of Congress. This was reported by Anadolu citing Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

Statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry

Mao Ning described the elections as an 'internal' matter of the United States and emphasized Beijing's readiness to cooperate with Washington. 'China is ready to work with the United States to uphold and implement the important consensus reached by the heads of the two states, strengthen communication, properly manage differences and expand cooperation, building a constructive strategic relationship on the basis of respect and equality,' Anadolu quoted her as saying at a briefing in Beijing.

Context of the agreements and the elections

The formula of a 'constructive relationship' is not new: in May and September, Xi Jinping and Trump agreed at their meetings to pursue 'a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on respect, fairness and reciprocity.' The Foreign Ministry's statement came as votes were still being counted: according to projections, Democrats are set to win 53 Senate seats against 42 for Republicans, with counting still ongoing in the remaining states, as well as at least 218 seats in the 435-seat House of Representatives — the majority threshold. Xi is expected to host Trump at the end of the month in Shenzhen in southern China for a summit on the sidelines of the APEC forum. Thus, Beijing signaled continuity of its course regardless of the changing balance in Congress — however, this is an editorial interpretation: the statement itself does not explicitly link it to the election results, and the voting results are still preliminary.