Beijing, November 25: Chinese President Xi Jinping finally congratulated United States President-elect Joe Biden, after maintaining silence for several day on the US election result. Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, issued a statement to confirm that Xi dialled Biden and left a congratulatory message. BRICS Summit 2020: Xi Jinping Listening, PM Narendra Modi Targets Pakistan in Veiled Manner Over 'Support to Terrorism'.

Apart from Xi, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan also called US VP-elect Kamala Harris to wish her on the victory in the presidential election. The phone calls from the top Beijing political brass to their soon-to-be counterparts in the US is also being viewed through the prism of strained Sino-US ties.

Under the tenure of Trump, the US and China were locked in a full-blown trade war, with both the countries slapping tariffs on billions of dollars of imported goods. The geopolitical tensions also rose, as the US repeatedly warned against responding to the "Chinese hegemony" in South China Sea region.

Xi, in his message to Biden, called for the reduction of tensions and a "responsible" approach by both the regimes to create cordal Sino-US relations.

"In his congratulatory message, Xi Jinping pointed out that promoting the healthy and stable development of China-US relations not only conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but also is the common expectation of the international community," Xinhua reported.

"It is hoped that both sides will uphold the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation, focus on cooperation, manage differences, promote the healthy and stable development of Sino-US relations, and work with other countries and the international community to advance the noble cause of world peace and development," it further added.

Xi was among the four remaining major world leaders who were yet to wish Biden on his victory over Trump. The leaders of Mexico, Brazil and Russia are yet to extend their congratulatory notes to the President-elect.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 25, 2020 09:11 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).