The Chinese are Down With Obama

Having the support of Chinese citizens surely doesn't mean to much to Barack Obama, but at least it shows that I'm not the only person in the Middle Kingdom excited about the soon-to-be president.

From IPS News:

BEIJING, Oct 24 (IPS) - Beijing has a tradition of sound relations with Republican presidents of the United States, but the latest China poll shows popular opinion bucking the trend with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama becoming an "overwhelming hit" with ordinary Chinese.

The results of the online poll conducted on the China Daily website by the U.S. embassy here showed Obama enjoying a much greater lead over his Republican rival, John McCain, with the support of 75 percent of Chinese polled.

"Perhaps his age, energy and even complexion, which signify the U.S. dream, are more appealing to the Chinese," Song Zhiyuan, who analysed the survey, told the ‘China Daily’.

Rebecca Zhu, a 29-year-old bank employee, agreed. "No Chinese leader is that young," she said. "Obama is attractive because he is hip and unconventional. He has even used e-mails to advance his campaign."

The media has been awash with commentaries predicting a new, more sensitive America, vastly different from the country led by George W. Bush, should Obama win. The popular notion in China that the U.S. is out to impose its Western ideals on the world would take a hit with the election of a man of African descent.

"Many think that because of his origins Obama would be prone to considering other nations’ concerns better than McCain,’’ says Shi Yinhong, an expert on international relations at China’s Renmin University. "But for China the most important factor is that he might be more susceptible to our concerns regarding Taiwan."

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It's not surprising that the rest of the world would like to see a fresh face in the Oval Office. The citizens of the world obviously don't see that freshness coming in the form of a McCain administration.

There are about ten days left until the election. I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be having a blowout celebration on November 5th (I'll know Wednesday morning Chinese time who's won) with my friends, both American and from elsewhere, here in Xi'an.

Here is a major reason why I'm not completely freaking out:



These charts and detailed analysis can be found at the website: fivethiryeight.com. It's a must for any political/poll junkie.

Obama is obviously in blue. Sure, the election hasn't happened yet, but things are definitely looking good for Obama.