Full debate video: In Trump-Biden debate chaos, China and other opponents of democracy are the big winners?

Hong Kong (CNN)In an ugly, cantankerous presidential debate, one of the few things Donald Trump and Joe Biden agreed upon was China.

Both criticized the other for being too soft on Beijing, with Trump accusing Biden of being hoodwinked by China during his time as vice president, and Biden hitting Trump for saying “what a great job” Chinese President Xi Jinping was doing at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
 

But while Beijing would rather not be a topic at all in the United States election, and this rare consensus represents a growing anti-China strain in Washington, the debate as a whole will have raised spirits in the Chinese capital. For decades, Beijing has criticized US-style democracy, holding up (very real) flaws in the American system as vindication for Chinese authoritarianism. Anyone advancing reform or liberalization in China is forced to answer for every failure in the US, and made to justify why that will be better than the Chinese system, which may not offer much in terms of representation, but at least provides stability and economic growth.

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2 replies

  1. As a semi-joke I sometimes mentioned that, as the USA seems not to be ready for democracy, they should cancel the independence and get Prince Charles as Regent. Can’t be any worse. (Sorry for this joke, but it is really painful to see what is done in the name of democracy over there in the USA).

  2. I tried listening to that debate, but started getting a headache and quit. I admire Chris Wallace and his patience and also Joe Biden for enduring the one and a half hour of Trump nonsense and lies!

    The whole thing was worse than some of our political debates out here in the developing world.. They sounded so much more ‘civilzed’ than what I heard.

    It was AWFUL!!!

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