In his four years as president, Donald Trump changed decades of accepted American foreign policy. He criticized long-standing allies in Europe, withdrew from international agreements and organizations, and set aside human rights concerns to cultivate ties with more authoritarian leaders in Saudi Arabia, Hungary and Turkey.
Biden has promised a more multilateral approach. Still, he is expected to continue a tougher line on trade and will have to balance public sentiment at home, which is for the United States to stop shouldering much of the burden of global defense.
Here is a summary of the key reactions around the world:
Germany
Chancellor Angela Merkel said she looked forward to working with Biden. “Our transatlantic friendship is indispensable if we are to face the greatest challenges of our time,” he said in a statement posted on Twitter by his spokesman.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called for a new beginning for transatlantic ties, what he called a “New Deal.”
“Joe Biden made it clear during the campaign that he sees America’s global strength in team play and not just. We also want the West to play as a team again, “Maas said in a statement.” Only in this way can we make our common values felt in the world, only then can we have the necessary influence. “
China
China is likely to face a stronger stance from the United States under Biden on human rights issues and its crackdown on Hong Kong. But the state media focused primarily on Trump, rather than Biden. Trump has made repeated references to voter fraud, without providing meaningful evidence, and has said he plans to continue fighting through the courts.
Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, said Trump’s actions could continue to resonate. “Given your unique personality and mobilization capacity that other defeated candidates do not have, if you reject this result and stick with this attitude to the end, it will have a far-reaching impact,” Hu said on Twitter. In a separate post on Weibo, Hu said China “needs to contact Biden’s team to explore the possibility of getting rid of extreme turbulence in the China-US relationship.”
Meanwhile, People’s Daily had a bit of fun with Trump’s claim to have won by a wide margin.
President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan said she hoped for greater “friendship” with the United States. “The values on which we have built our relationship could not be stronger,” he said in a tweet. Beijing considers the democratically governed island to be part of its territory.
While Tsai’s party has more in common with Biden on environmental and social issues, for decades it has advocated “strategic ambiguity” in Taiwan, seeking to minimize the risk of direct conflict with China. Under Trump, the United States approved billions of dollars in armed sales to Taiwan.
Russia
So far there has been no official reaction from President Vladimir Putin. His spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. Four years ago, Putin sent Trump his congratulations within hours of the American television networks announcing the result.
Opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who is in Germany recovering from a near-fatal poisoning attack, opined:
Canada, Mexico
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who at times had a thorny relationship with Trump, including on trade, spoke of the “extraordinary relationship” between the countries in his statement congratulating Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
“We will continue to build on this foundation as we continue to keep our people safe and healthy from the impacts of the global Covid-19 pandemic, and work to promote peace and inclusion, economic prosperity and climate action around the world,” he said . .
Mexican leader Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who established a close relationship with Trump, kept his congratulatory message at bay, saying the process is not over and that votes are still being counted. “We don’t want to be reckless,” he said at a briefing.
United Kingdom
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cited shared priorities, including climate change, trade and security, in sending his congratulations to Biden. It also recognized Harris’s election as the first woman, the first black person, and the first American Indian as vice president.
Iran and western Asia
President Hassan Rouhani asked Biden to make peace with the Islamic Republic after the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” policy.
“An opportunity has arisen for the future US government to make up for its past mistakes and revert to global standards and the path of commitment to its international obligations,” Rouhani said, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News. Agency.
The Trump administration withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and imposed sweeping sanctions to try to force Tehran to agree to a tougher deal that also limits its missile program and Middle East ambitions. Biden has indicated that he may seek to rejoin the pact.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was arguably one of the Trump administration’s biggest foreign policy beneficiaries, took longer than some of his Middle Eastern counterparts to congratulate Biden. He first tweeted that he was eager to work with Biden and Harris, before thanking Trump in a separate post for their friendship.
Trump repeatedly broke with the US precedent to push Netanyahu’s nationalist agenda, recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights and moving the US embassy to Jerusalem.
The President of Iraq, the Emir of Qatar and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, sent good wishes to Biden.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the first foreign leader to call and congratulate Trump in 2016, said he was “looking forward to working and cooperating with the newly elected president.” Under a Biden White House, Egypt will likely face more of the traditional American scolding for human rights.
There were no comments from the leaders of Turkey or Saudi Arabia, who also had close ties to Trump and whose nations may now face increased scrutiny. After the news of Biden’s victory broke, King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed, congratulated a newly elected president in Tanzania.
France
President Emmanuel Macron called on the incoming US administration to “work together” with France. “We have a lot to do to overcome today’s challenges,” he said on Twitter.
NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called Biden a “strong supporter” of the defense group, which found itself under fire from Trump for insufficient contributions from member states other than the United States.
“A strong NATO is good for North America and good for Europe,” he said in a statement. “We need this collective force to meet the many challenges we face, including a more assertive Russia, international terrorism, cyber and missile threats, and a shift in the global balance of power with the rise of China.”
European Comission
The head of the commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen, said a renewed partnership was of particular importance given current global problems, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
India and Asia
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi focused on Harris as a source of pride for Indian-Americans, calling the incoming vice president “innovative.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke of “shared values” in the US-Australian alliance when congratulating Biden and Harris. The United States has tried to recruit countries from Asia to counter China’s military and economic influence. Australia has increasingly been found in the cross hairs also in trade.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga spoke about strengthening the US-Japan alliance under Biden; Trump had periodically pondered forcing Japan to pay more for US troops housed on its soil.
This story has been published from a news agency feed with no changes to the text. Only the title has been changed.
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