From Beijing to Paris and Manila to New Delhi, world leaders sent congratulatory messages to the 47-year-old on his historic win. Many expressed hope that he would write a new chapter in international relations, marked by stronger bilateral ties and cooperation on global issues.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke for many when he told Mr Obama in a note: 'Your extraordinary journey to the White House will inspire people not only in your country but also around the world.'

Chinese President Hu Jintao said in his note: 'In the new historic era, I look forward to working together with you to continuously strengthen dialogue and exchanges between our two countries and enhance our mutual trust and cooperation...bringing greater benefits to people of our two countries and the rest of the world.'

Across Asia's cities, cheers rang out when broadcaster CNN beamed the vote count. Japanese diplomacy expert Kunihiko Miyake said: 'For the first time, we have a US president who is not focused on the Atlantic but on the Pacific as MrObama was born in Hawaii and went to school in Indonesia.'

Even Mr D. Raja, national secretary of India's Communist Party - for whom 'US imperialism' has always been a problem - said: 'We hope he can really bring about a change in the US policies towards the developing world.'

Malaysia, a long-time critic of the US intervention in Iraq, said in a statement: 'Malaysia...hopes Mr Obama's government will be more sensitive to the sovereignty of smaller nations and will not use force in resolving global conflicts.'

People in Asia and beyond think Mr Obama will helm a US that is 'less arrogant', said director Shi Yinhong of the Centre for American Studies at Beijing's Renmin University.

'The US will be more modest now in dealing with other countries, especially China, since it needs Beijing's help now to stabilise the US economy,' he told The Straits Times. 'Through the Iraq war, the US lost its moral authority, and now, with the financial crisis, its fundamentals in economics are being questioned.'

Still, no one disputes the need for American leadership to halt the global slowdown.

Mr Fujio Mitarai, chairman of the influential Nippon Keidanren business organisation in Japan, said: 'The world economy today faces challenges it has never experienced before, and I would like to see the new US president demonstrate strong leadership in promptly resolving the current world economic and financial turmoil.'

Sino-US expert Huang Jing, visiting professor at Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said Mr Obama's more consultative approach to world politics will help him steer a steady course in Asia.

'Mr Obama wants to come back to Asia thick and fast, at a time when China's rise and assertiveness in the region continue to grow. That might cause some problems, but Washington and Beijing know...that their relationship has global implications - so both sides will be very cautious,' he said.

Overall, however, to Asians and Africans in the street, Mr Obama's election as the US' first black president is already 'a powerful symbol against racial discrimination anywhere in the world', as Beijing scriptwriter Liu Jie, 34, put it.

It 'shows the world how fair and democratic the US is', said 26-year-old Beijing resident Huang Xiao.

simcy@sph.com.sg

With additional reporting by P. Jayaram and Kwan Weng Kin

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FROM AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG