Chinese papers mock US election

BEIJING: Two of China´s main state-run newspapers heaped scorn on the US presidential elections on Saturday, saying the endless stream of scandals surrounding both main candidates showed the United States had no right to lecture others on democracy.

While Beijing has largely avoided commenting on the elections, not wanting to be seen to interfere in the internal affairs of another country, the government-run media has been given more leeway.

China frequently takes umbrage at foreign criticism of its one-party political system, particularly from the United States, and says no country has the right to try and force China to change a system it says best suits China´s situation.

In a commentary, the ruling Communist Party´s official People´s Daily termed the US election "chaos", pointing to tax-related issues for "big mouth" Republican candidate Donald Trump and the dispute over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton´s use of private email and worries over her health.

Both candidates appear more set on personal attacks than discussing the issues, as can be see from their first presidential debate, the newspaper said.

"All this weirdness not only clearly shows the predicament of the US political establishment, it also points straight at the corrupt practices of the US political system," it added in the commentary, published under the pen name "Zhong Sheng", meaning "Voice of China", often used to give views on foreign policy. "For a long time, the United States has boasted about how its extremely lively election is a sign of the superiority of its system, and has even used this to wilfully criticise the vast majority of developing countries," it said.