In a surprising turn of events, Chinese social media users and former President Donald Trump have come to a shared conclusion: Vice President Kamala Harris has a slim chance of winning the upcoming November elections.
What Happened: Chinese social media platform Weibo is buzzing with discussions suggesting that Trump’s victory is a foregone conclusion. This sentiment has been fueled by a failed assassination attempt on Trump, Business Insider reported on Monday.
President Joe Biden‘s decision to step down from the election race has gone viral in China, with online consensus leaning towards Trump’s campaign rhetoric. Initial reactions from Chinese commentators have dismissed Harris, endorsed by Biden as the Democratic nomination, as having an even lower chance of winning the White House than Biden himself.
Trump, now the official Republican nominee, echoed this sentiment on Sunday, stating that Harris would be “easier to beat than Joe Biden would have been.”
While China’s heavily moderated social media is not a true indicator of its foreign policy, these discussions provide insight into the rhetoric the authorities allow to thrive.
“Trump has basically secured the presidency, there’s no need for others to continue the act. It’s awkward and not even entertaining,” wrote one blogger based in Gansu.
“The Democratic Party’s chaotic replacement of generals is like the medicine of Wu Dalang,” another blogger wrote, referring to a famous Chinese tale of a man who survived poisoning but was still suffocated to death by his wife.
“You will die whether you take it or not.”
Why It Matters: Despite the predictions from Trump and China, a FiveThirtyEight round-up of the latest polls shows that Harris’ performance with voters differs from Biden’s by only a small margin — typically by one or two percentage points at most. At times, she fares better than the president.
However, the relationship between China and the U.S. could face new challenges if Trump wins the upcoming U.S. presidential election, according to a Chinese expert. Jia Qingguo, a professor at Peking University, warned of increased confrontations if Trump is re-elected.
Furthermore, the U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, has leveled serious accusations against Beijing, stating that it is actively sabotaging diplomatic relations between the two nations.
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Photo by Sheila Fitzgerald on Shutterstock
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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