The Election Aftermath, View from China

The long, hard-fought election cycle has finally come to an end, as Barack Obama defeated John McCain last night.  While opinions of the election in the U.S.remain mixed, responses from the international community, including China/st1 :country-region>, have been substantially positive./span>

Policies aside, the idea that the son of a Kenyan villager could rise to become the President of the United States/st1 :country-region> inspires people worldwide, and resonates with many Chinese.  It shatters the perception that only Americans with Anglo-European features can lead the nation, and possibly even paves the way for a Chinese American president in the upcoming years.  /span>

President Hu Jintao offered congratulatory remarks, and looks forward "to taking our constructive and cooperative relationship to a new high and bringing greater benefits to the people of our two countries and the rest of the world."/span>

Today's China Daily editorial "We wish US president-elect Obama well" almost sounds like it could have been written by someone on Obama's campaign team.  It praises Obama "campaign promise to levy more taxes on families that make US$250,000 annually," and expresses "full confidence that Sino-American relations could reach a new high that will benefit both countries and the world as a whole, as President Obama takes the helm."/span>

Notably absent from this glowing rhetoric, however, is any reference to potential protectionist trade measures, or increased scrutiny of China/st1 :country-region>'s human rights policies.  Of course, if history is any indication, when it comes to "cracking down on China/st1 :country-region>" most have harsher rhetoric than substance, so it's possible that these issues won't play a prominent role in the Obama Administration.  Moreover, the topic of China/st1 :country-region> wasn't a major campaign issue this election cycle.   /span>

Not all coverage was quite so optimistic, however, and the ChinaDaily headline reading "World hopes for a 'less arrogant America' isn't exactly the most flattering.  While the U.S.wouldn't win any international awards for its humility, China/st1 :country-region> isn't exactly in a position to be pointing fingers. /span>

Regardless, some Chinese have hopes that Obama might even address issues that most Americans probably don't think about.  One poster on a China Daily message board writes, "Time will tell whether President Obama is going to help Chinarealize its much-cherished goal of national reunification with Taiwan/st1 :place>."  Something tells me that this probably isn't on Obama's "to-do" list once he takes office in January, though./span>

We'll have to wait until January to see if Obama can meet or even succeed the expectations of his ardent supporters.  Then we will soon find out how the ideal of Obama, which has captivated the world's imaginations, will translate into the actual policies of America/st1 :country-region>'s 44th president.