Several media outlets Friday reported China’s congratulatory message to President-elect, Joe Biden. The Guardian, for example, reported that:

China has extended congratulations to the US president-elect, Joe Biden, becoming one of the last countries to acknowledge his electoral victory over Donald Trump.

On Friday, nearly a week after Biden was declared the winner, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin commended the Democratic candidate and his running mate, Kamala Harris.

“We respect the choice of the American people. We extend congratulations to Mr Biden and Ms Harris,” he said at a regular press briefing. “We understand the results of the US election will be determined according to US laws and procedures.”

Wang Wenbin’s mention of “respect of choice of the American people” is quite interesting as the Chinese people have no democratic choice when it comes to selecting their own leaders.