My Take | Why China is happy to stay on the sidelines in the US presidential contest
- Official media was happy to take potshots at US democracy after the Biden-Trump debate, but it does not want to be seen to be taking sides
The United States presidential election debate got the internet buzzing over the weekend, but the reaction in China was relatively moderate.
There were comments by state media but almost all were carefully balanced in their tone to make sure that they did not appear to favour Joe Biden or Donald Trump.
Instead, most framed the debate as a debacle reflecting the weaknesses of US democracy.
The state news agency Xinhua said the debate exposed the shortcomings of both candidates while another report hours later described it as an “American-style reality show”.
The comments on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo were more lively. But the censors also made sure there was no strong sense one candidate was being favoured over the other.
A hashtag for discussions about the debate read: “The debate has posed a dilemma for US voters”, saying it highlighted the weaknesses of both men and made it hard for voters to choose.