PARIS: World leaders raced to congratulate Donald Trump on Wednesday as he triumphed in a stunning US election victory over Kamala Harris.

Here are the first reactions, with many being expressed even before his election win was confirmed:

Without directly mentioning Trump, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing that China hopes for “peaceful coexistence” with the United States.

“We will continue to approach and handle China-US relations based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation,” she said.

“We are under no illusions about the American President-elect,” Moscow’s foreign ministry said, adding that it will “work with” a new US administration and prioritise achieving its “set goals” in Ukraine. It said its “conditions” on ending the conflict “are unchanged and are well known in Washington”.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Trump’s win as “history’s greatest comeback!”

“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!” Netanyahu said in a statement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Donald Trump on his “impressive victory” and said he hoped his presidency would bring a “just peace in Ukraine closer.”

“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs,” Zelensky said on social media.

NATO chief Mark Rutte congratulated Trump and said his return to power would help keep the alliance “strong”.

“His leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong. I look forward to working with him again to advance peace through strength through NATO,” Rutte said in a statement.

“I warmly congratulate Donald J. Trump,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X. “We are bound by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800 million citizens. Let’s work together on a strong transatlantic agenda that keeps delivering for them.” Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated the 78-year old on his “historic election victory”. “From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic.”

French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated “President Donald Trump”, saying he was ready to work together “with respect and ambition” like “we managed to do for four years”.

In a post on X, Macron said that the relationship with Trump would “take account of your convictions, and mine”, adding: “For more peace and prosperity.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Trump “we’re better off together.”

“Both sides benefit from the transatlantic partnership,” Scholz said in a statement to media. “The EU and the USA are two similarly large economic areas, linked by the closest economic relations in the world.”

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters he hopes “to work closely with Mr Trump to take the Japan-US alliance and Japan-US relationship to new heights.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa, whose country will take over the G20 presidency next year — ahead of the US in 2026 — told Trump in a message that he looked forward to “continuing the close and mutually beneficial partnership between our two nations across all domains of our cooperation.”

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and his son, de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent cables to Trump with King Salman hailing “close relations between the two friendly countries and peoples, which everyone seeks to strengthen and develop in all fields”, the official Saudi Press Agency said.—AFP