Asia riveted as US election drama unfolds, officials keep mum

People tracking the US election results on television in a restaurant in Shanghai, China, yesterday. Crowds packed pubs and cafes for watch parties across Asia as the outcome of the presidential race remained uncertain.
People tracking the US election results on television in a restaurant in Shanghai, China, yesterday. Crowds packed pubs and cafes for watch parties across Asia as the outcome of the presidential race remained uncertain. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

BEIJING - As the race for the White House inched towards what appears to be a nail-biting conclusion, the drama was also riveting for non-Americans in Asia.

Crowds packed pubs and cafes for watch parties across the continent, but officials in Asian capitals kept mostly mum as the outcome of the presidential race remained uncertain.

In China, where coverage of the US election has been muted, the Foreign Ministry refused to be drawn into commenting on it.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin was asked twice about the poll at a daily press briefing yesterday , including if Beijing had a preferred winner.

He stuck firmly to the official line in his response.

"The US election is an internal affair of the US, and China does not hold a position on this," he said.

Beijing also appeared to be attempting to tamp down discussions on Chinese social media platforms.

The "US Election" hashtag on micro-blogging site Weibo was listed as the 11th most discussed topic despite having over 4.72 billion views (as at 7pm yesterday), more than any of the other trending topics listed by the platform.

It ranked below posts on Washington's exit from the Paris climate agreement, which ranked second. Washington officially exited the global climate deal yesterday, a year after President Donald Trump said the country would do so.

Chinese government censors hold considerable influence over discussions on Chinese social media platforms, and can promote or diminish the prominence of certain topics.

Associate Professor Alfred Wu of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy said Beijing was very sensitive to discussions pertaining to democracy and elections.

"There is serious concern that discussion about elections could lead Chinese to ask why there aren't elections in China," he said.

In Tokyo, politicians said they were monitoring the situation closely, and pledged to work with whoever ended up at the White House. "The US-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of Japanese diplomacy, and I will firmly work with whoever is the next US president," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said at a Diet session.

In China, coverage of the election in the US has been muted. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Seoul took a similar line, with South Korean media also pointing out that the outcome would affect negotiations with North Korea as well as discussions about defence cost sharing and trade ties.

In India, TV channels provided real-time updates of results in the US with running commentary from Indian as well as US experts.

One big reason for the keen interest is the close rapport shared between President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Trump's early declaration of victory, despite the fact that votes were still being counted, sparked introspection about the state of politics in Indonesia.

Jakarta-based data analytics and strategy consultant Shafiq Pontoh said it reminded Indonesians of the country's deeply divisive presidential election last year, when the challenger Prabowo Subianto declared victory while counting was still in progress.

President Joko Widodo eventually was re-elected and he later appointed his rival as defence minister.

Many in the Philippines expressed disappointment online that the White House race had come down to the wire. Freelance writer Geraldine Rodriquez said that it could be a harbinger of what could happen in elections in the Philippines in 2022. "Is America's election an indicator of what would happen in the Philippines in 2022? I hope not," she said.

Additional reporting by Walter Sim, Chang May Choon, Nirmala Ganapathy, Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja and Raul Dancel

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