Chinese state media says that Donald Trump as president is what happens if people have democracies.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency has said that the likely election of the controversial Republican candidate just shows how America's democracy brings about crisis, in contrast to the stability of China's authoritarian rule.
The campaign – and Donald Trump's apparent ascension to the highest office in the world – shows how "the majority of Americans are rebelling against the U.S.'s political class and financial elites", the paper wrote.
The official Communist Party newspaper People's Daily says in a commentary that the presidential election reveals an "ill democracy."
China's state media and government-backed commentators have actually supported Donald Trump throughout the election campaign.
Like Russia, China is seen as favoring Trump because he appears less willing to confront China's newly robust foreign policy, particularly in the South China Sea.
Clinton, by contrast, is disliked in Beijing for having steered the U.S. "pivot" to Asia aimed at strengthening U.S. engagement with the region, particularly in the military sphere.
Writing in the Communist Party newspaper Global Times, scholar Mei Xinyu says: "From a comprehensive view, it would make it easier for China to cope if Trump is elected. This is because under the policy line advocated by Obama and Clinton, the political and military frictions between China and the U.S. will be more frequent."
On Tuesday, the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV ran man-on-the-street interviews with unidentified American voters in which they expressed disgust with the system and dissatisfaction with both candidates.
Additional reporting by agencies
