Harris or Trump? What Chinese people want from US election

BBC Two Chinese women in traditional dress, with stylised purple border dotted with four white starsBBC

People in China are concerned and eagerly watching the US vote. They worry that whoever wins the White House will have an effect on a number of aspects of daily life, both domestically and abroad.

As the park’s music reaches a chorus and a local dance gracefully spins his lover,” None of us wants to see a war,” says Mr. Xiang.

He has traveled to Ritan Park to study dancing with another seniors.

Just a few hundred meters from the American embassy in China’s residence in Beijing, they often gather around.

The upcoming US vote is also on their heads, along with fresh dance moves.

It comes at a key time between the two nations, with tensions over Taiwan, business and global interests running high.

” I am worried that Sino-US connections are getting tense”, says Mr Xiang who’s in his seventies. Harmony is what we want, he adds.

A group has gathered to listen to this talk. The majority of people in countries where it is acceptable to speak about the US senator are reluctant to give their full names, but being important of their own head was put them in trouble.

They claim to be concerned about war, not just a fight between Washington and Beijing but an increase of the Middle East and Ukraine.

That is why Mr Meng, in his 70s, hopes Donald Trump will win the vote.

He says,” He does not want to begin or fight a combat, despite imposing economic sanctions on China. Mr. Biden starts more war, making more and more people in the general like him. Mr. Biden is the one who backs Ukraine’s battle, and both Russia and Ukraine suffer significant losses as a result,” he said.

Some aunts who are making party routines for their social media pages chip in. One commentator claims that Donald Trump promised to end the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office.

” About Harris, I know much about her; we believe she goes the same way as President Biden, who supports battle,” he said.

Their viewpoints echoe a significant information being broadcast on Chinese state media.

Dancers in Ritan Park in front of a traditional Chinese pagoda

China has repeatedly urged the international community to reach a peace in Gaza while aligning itself with what it refers to as its” Muslim boys” in the Middle East. It has also been quick to blame the US for its unwavering support of Israel.

Regarding Ukraine, Wang Yi, the foreign secretary, claimed that China was “playing a productive part” when he accused Washington of “exploiting the scenario for selfish obtain.”

Some experts agree that Kamala Harris is a hidden gem to the Chinese individuals and the country’s officials despite the fact that the majority of researchers believe Beijing does not have a favorite candidate for the White House.

However, some think that when it comes to one of the biggest international disputes between China and the US, Taiwan, she will be more secure than Trump.

” I do n’t like Trump. I do n’t think there is a good future between the US and China– there are too many problems, the global economy, and also the Taiwan problem”, says a father of a four-year-old boy in the park for a family day out.

He fears that turmoil may develop as a result of their disagreements over Taiwan.

Boy wearing mask in Ritan Park

” I do n’t want it. I do n’t want my son to go to the military”, he says as the young boy pleads to go back on the slide.

Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims to be its own, is a country that, according to President Xi, “reunification is inevitable” and pledges to reclaim it by force if necessary.

The US maintains established relations with Beijing and acknowledges it as the only Chinese state under its” One China plan,” but it also continues to be Taiwan’s most significant global admirer.

Joe Biden has stated that the US would defend Taiwan diplomatically, breaking with a position known as corporate confusion, and that Washington is required by law to provide Taiwan with defensive arms.

Harris has certainly made that much of a difference. Otherwise, when asked about it in a new meeting, she stated that she was committed to” security and prosperity for all countries.”

Donald Trump is rather focused on a offer- not politics. He has called on Taiwan to pay for its defense.

Taiwan stole our device company from us. I mean, how terrible are we? They’re exceedingly wealthy”, he said in a new interview. ” Taiwan should compensate us for military”.

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One of their biggest concerns about the former US president is that he has also made it clear that he intends to establish 60 % tariffs on Chinese products.

Due to the country’s efforts to produce sufficient products to import itself out of an economic slump, this is the last thing many businesses in China want at the moment.

US-led business tariffs, which Donald Trump initially imposed, annoy Chinese ministers with disdain.

Additionally, President Biden has imposed tariffs on solar panel and Chinese-made electrical goods. Beijing believes that these actions are an attempt to slow down its fall as a worldwide economic power.

Getty Images Xi and Trump in Beijing in 2017, standing in front of flowers and pointingGetty Images

According to Mr. Xiang,” I do n’t think it will benefit China in any way by imposing tariffs on it,” which is in line with the sentiments of many of the people we met. The taxes will hit the US persons, he adds, and raise costs for regular people.

Many of the the younger generation, while patriotic, even look towards the US for trends and tradition- and that, perhaps more than any political vision, has power also.

In the garden, Lily and Anna, aged 20 and 22, who get their information from TikTok, echo some of the national information of delight spread by Chinese state advertising when it comes to this dynamic partnership.

” Our nation is a very profitable and powerful state”, they say, dressed in their national outfits. They love China, they said, although they also love the Avengers and especially Captain America.

Taylor Swift is also available on other people’s songs.

Woman working on food stall waving at someone off camera

People like 17-year-old Lucy promise to research in America one day.

She has a dream about going to Universal Studios one moment after graduating, and she cycles on an exercise bike that is freshly installed in the area.

Lucy claims she is enthralled to learn that there is a sexual member. ” Harris’s election marks an important step forward for female justice, and it’s encouraging to see her as a political candidate”.

There is never a adult leader in the People’s Republic of China, and there is not a single person on the 24-member Politburo, which includes the most top associates of the Chinese Communist Party.

Lucy worries about the severe competition between the two nations, and she thinks that having more people-to-people exchangesit would be the best way for China and the Uned States to strengthen their marriage.

Both parties have pledged to work toward this, but there are still only 800 US individuals studying in China, down from around 15, 000 in 2011.

Baby crawling through tunnel in park, with adult woman behind

In the next five years, Xi hopes to welcome 50 000 American pupils to China. However, Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China, claimed some parts of the Chinese government did n’t take this commitment really in a recent discussion with the BBC.

He claimed that dozens of times, Chinese people have been prevented from participating in US-run public politics by the security causes or a state government.

On the other hand, US border officials have reported unfair treatment of Taiwanese academics and students.

Lucy, however, remains positive that she will be able to travel to America one morning, to promote Chinese culture. And, as the songs strikes up outside, she urges Americans to explore and practice China.

As she heads off to visit her family, she says,” We may be a little reserved a little bit reserved and not as cheerful or optimist as US individuals, but we are welcoming.”

Xiqing Wang’s BBC photos

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BBC correspondents from different parts of the world will become researching how people are reacting to this White House race between now and the election on November 5.