President-elect Joe Biden and former US president Barack Obama; bottom photo from left: Presidents Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte, and US-China expert Yukon Huang. A Biden presidency, Huang said, would see a US that would be more collaborative with allies even as it would continue to see China as a threat. COLLAGE BY IDSI

Yukon Huang, US-China expert, of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former World Bank China director, shared his thoughts on the Biden victory for the world and for the Philippines (link to the interesting discussion: ).  The deep divisions in US society showed in the election voter data.  Despite a close race, when seen by aggregate voting numbers, people were divided by geography, education, race, generation and work type.  Voters with lower education, Midwest and whites went to the Republicans.  The higher educated, the peoples of color and urban votes went to the Democrats.  For example, Washington, D.C. votes were 92-percent Democrat vs 8-percent Republican; 90 percent of Black votes went to Biden.  The Filipino votes though were divided. Trump’s votes were still a very significant 70 million against Biden’s 75 million, and this will affect how Biden and Democrats can move.  Biden has shown a statesmanlike tone in his victory speeches, more unifying domestically as a president for all Americans, which will be a priority.

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