Asia riveted by US election race

Ordinary Chinese have expressed dismay at George Bush's possible re-election, echoing official criticism over his handling of Iraq, while analysts foresaw no major change in relations despite continued friction over Taiwan.

China’s government had no reaction to the President’s strong showing as ballot-counting continued.

Officials had refused throughout the campaign to comment on election issues or offer an opinion on Mr Bush or Mr Kerry.

“Bush is a nasty piece of work, and he’s really messed a lot of things up in the world,” said an auto parts salesman in Shanghai, who would give only his surname, Guo.

A banker in Beijing who gave his name as Mr Li: “Bush has not done a good job. The world is already in a mess, so why start more wars? Kerry is more moderate. He’s more willing to listen to the ideas of other countries.”

Such criticism reflected the negative portrait of Mr Bush painted by China’s state-controlled media, despite frequent government comments that Beijing considers ties with Washington good and getting better.

Chinese media have faulted Washington’s decision to invade Iraq and complained that Bush might be encouraging Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, to pursue formal independence – a move that China says would lead to war.

“China may not have been a big issue in this election, but China is part of the equation when it comes to terror, North Korea and US national security,” said Patrick Guo, a political science major at Ligong University in Shanghai.

Elsewhere across Asia, people were riveted to coverage of the presidential race - a election many thought could influence the future of the vast, complex region’s economy and security.

As results were flashed on giant TV screens in gleaming malls or announced on crackling radios in dusty markets, many Asians spent the day monitoring the numbers and expressing strong opinions about the candidates.

“I just hate him. I just hate his face,” Pakistani businessman Mehtab Butt said of Mr Bush. The 50-year-old trader from Lahore said Mr Bush had brought “nothing but shame” on the US by waging war in Afghanistan and Iraq. “Why have thousands of people been killed by Bush’s army ?”

Others in Muslim nations also rooted for Mr Kerry.

Budiman Sudjatmiko, an Indonesian democracy activist, bit his nails as he watched the results trickle in at a party at the US Embassy in Jakarta. He grimaced as Florida was called for Mr Bush.

“This is so nerve-wracking. It’s like voting for the president of the world,” he said. “If Kerry wins, I am going to have a big party.”

Mr Bush had vocal supporters in parts of north east Asia – like South Korea, Taiwan and Japan – where governments have long fostered close security ties with Washington.

At the main railway station in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, commuters paused near big television screens to watch the results. Retiree Jin Ki-soo, 78, said he favoured Mr Bush although he did not expect the result to have much of an impact on his country.

“People around my age will support Bush,” he said. “The older you get, the more conservative you become.”

Japanese housewife Tomoko Inoue, 70, stopped to reflect on Mr Bush in Tokyo’s glitzy Ginza district. “I like Bush better because he is close to our prime minister,” she said. “I think he is good for Japan and supportive of Japan and he has a nice personality.”