During the US election campaign, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has frequently insisted that China was a country adding to America’s economic woes.
At a supporters' rally in the US state of Nevada last week, he told the cheering crowd: “America has lost 70,000 factories since China entered the World Trade Organisation."
"Another Bill and Hillary-backed deal… they come in. They take our jobs. They take our products. They make a fortune. And we owe them 1.5 trillion dollars,” he added.
Despite such comments, his popularity among some circles in China remained strong.
Trump was the preferred candidate among university students attending a class on American Politics at Beijing’s Foreign Studies university.
“If Trump becomes US president it's not bad for China. Trump is a businessman and interest-driven,” student Luo Chang said.
Student Ying Cui said she admired Clinton for being successful, but also said she was a "member of the political elite, she’s sophisticated and her words are very deliberately designed. Whereas Trump is less predictable and closer to ordinary people".
Academic at the university, Professor Zhou Xinyu, explained that due to widely circulated stories, such as those relating to Hillary’s email scandal, many in China felt she had a hidden agenda.
Whereas Trump, though loud and eccentric, was perceived as transparent.
"Hillary seems to have things hidden inside. Whereas with Trump, no matter how many drawbacks he has at least we can see through him. We know what his interests are,” Prof Xinyu said.
He said Clinton’s criticism regarding China’s position on the South China Sea and human rights have also added to her unpopularity.
The campaign has been closely watched in china, particularly by expats.
Ada Shen has lived and worked in China for 18 years and said Donald Trump's Chinese supporters are misguided.
“The lived experience of China is not something you're going to get from headlines… we know that this is an extremely important relationship," Shen said.
"They're a major trading partner. They're a major ally in the fight against climate change. Someone like Trump doesn't seem to understand or care."
While the rest of the world waits for the outcome, arms of the Chinese state media have been playing up the raucous elements of the campaign, highlighting what it sees as the "flaws" of democracy.
In an op-ed titled English-language newspaper Global Times said “the election will continue to be the top entertainment in the US. The race to the bottom will continue to mislead people, as well as make them rethink the value of democracy".
Prof Xinyu said what mattered most to China was an American leader who would accept its emerging role in global affairs.
“Most important is somehow making Americans believe their interests won't be harmed with China's growth and with this new order in Asia."
