The Chinese public on Wednesday congratulated Barack Obama upon his re-election as U.S. president, saying the continuity will benefit both nations.

Obama supporters are celebrating cheerfully in Times Square, New York as Barack Obama has been re-elected. [China Daily]

President Obama beat his Republican challenger Mitt Romney to win a second term at the White House.

Over the past week, "U.S. presidential election" has become a major topic in a special section on Sina Weibo, China's most popular Twitter-like platform.

Since the polls opened Tuesday, more than seven million Weibo users have posted or forwarded views in their microblogs.

"Congratulations to Obama!" said Dingxiaoyu Qishanjushi in Weibo, adding that Obama's re-election will maintain his policy continuity towards China. This will benefit China and the U.S. during the next four years, the post said.

"Xuemanzi" defined Obama as "the first black U.S. president who wins re-election."

Many netizens forwarded a picture of Obama delivering a speech in heavy rain during his presidential campaign earlier this year.

According to views on Weibo, the Chinese public are looking forward to healthy and stable development of Sino-U.S. relations.

One of the most-frequently forwarded microblog posts was a thankyou note sent by Obama to his supporters, "Today is the clearest proof yet that, against the odds, ordinary Americans can overcome powerful interests."

A Chinese journalist who was once a resident correspondent in the U.S. and received the thankyou note, said in his Weibo post that Obama's gratitude and modesty could be felt and should be praised.

Congratulations extended from Chinese leaders, which were quickly spread by Chinese Internet users. President Hu Jintao said in a message that China-U.S. relations had made positive progress in the past four years as a result of joint efforts.

"China is willing to work with the U.S. side in the future and strive for further progress in China-U.S. relations in order to bring greater benefits to the two peoples as well as the rest of the world," Hu said.

China hopes the new U.S. government will respect China's "core interests," Cai Mingzhao, spokesman for the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which will open on Thursday, was quoted by netizens as saying.

Discussions on why Obama could win re-election dominated Chinese-language cyberspace. Although the U.S. economy has been in recession, Obama earned popular support for his achievement in medical reform and rescuing the auto industry.

However, Hong Kong's Now TV said in a Weibo post that it will be difficult for the Obama administration to resolve both domestic and foreign affairs issues, as well as his promise of improving employment, reducing the deficit and highlighting education.

Hu Shuli, a well-known media figure who owns influential Chinese magazines, said in her microblog that among many problems facing Obama are the "fiscal cliff, tax reform and cutting the deficit."

Li Daokui, a prominent Chinese economist and a former advisor to China's central bank said, "I'm afraid China may become a target of the U.S., for which the Chinese public must be psychologically prepared."

The prospect for fundamental recovery of the U.S. economy is slim in the near future, which will impact the world including the Chinese economy, Li said. He warned that Obama's second term could turn to international issues and possibly might target China.

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