US presidential election: sacred flame for Trump in India, bars back Biden in Indonesia, Korea as Asia watches drama unfold

With the US presidential election too close to call, viewers across Asia – expats and locals – have been transfixed by a day of high drama

Right-wingers pray for Trump in India, bar patrons toast Biden in Seoul and Jakarta, and in Thailand 50,000 votes are up for grabs – if they get counted

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The right-wing Indian group Hindu Sena prays for Trump’s re-election. Photo: Twitter

John Power,Sen Nguyen,Sonia Sarkar,Jitsiree Thongnoi,David D. LeeandResty Woro Yuniar

Published: 5:34pm, 4 Nov 2020Updated: 2:58pm, 6 Nov 2020

With the results of the US presidential election between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden too close to call, American politics has proven once again it is nothing if not dramatic.

The proceedings have gripped both expatriates and locals across the region as they await the results of a vote many experts believe could prove pivotal for America’s relationship with Asia.

And with some battleground states warning it could be days before mail-in votes are counted, the excitement looks set to continue for some time yet.

Several countries in Asia would be expected to welcome a second term for Trump if he wins – Japanese leaders for example, tend to prefer the Republican presidential nominee even if the Japanese public leans more towards Democrats. ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute researchers Ian Storey and Malcolm Cook, in an essay last month said Vietnam, which agrees with the Trump administration’s tougher line on China, especially in the South China Sea, and Thailand, which normalised relations with the US after Trump took office, would likely welcome a second Trump term. “Southeast Asian states will be less enthusiastic about a Biden administration if it adopts a strong rhetorical stand on promoting democracy and human rights, as previous Democratic administrations have done,” they wrote.

In the case of South Korea, analysts believe the liberal Seoul government would probably lean towards Biden, as the Trump administration has pressed South Korea to pay more towards the costs of stationing US military troops there. An opinion poll this month showed South Koreans prefer Biden over Trump by am margin of 59 to 24, with pollsters attributing this to Trump’s stance on military costs.

In India, right-wing fans of Prime Minister Narendra Modi often back Trump for his tough stance on China and synergy with Modi. However, Trump’s plans to clampdown on visas for skilled workers has made him unpopular with many Indian professionals.