China says 'willing to continue working' with US after Trump's midterm setback

China on Wednesday said it was ready to continue working with the United States after President Donald Trump's Republican Party lost control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the elections were an internal matter of the US but stressed Beijing's willingness to maintain cooperation with Washington.

"The midterm elections are an internal affair of the United States. China is willing to continue working with the US to uphold and implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen communication, properly manage differences, expand cooperation, and build a constructive, strategically stable China-US relationship based on the principles of respect, fairness, and reciprocity," Mao said.

Mao's remarks signalled Beijing's intention to maintain dialogue with Washington despite the political shift following the midterm elections. She called for stronger communication, better management of differences and greater cooperation between the two countries.

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Democrats take control of Congress

The Chinese statement came after Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress, according to CBS News projections, ending Republican control of the Senate and House.

Democrats flipped several Republican-held Senate seats, including in Texas, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Maine, North Carolina and South Carolina. At the time of writing, CBS News projected that the party had secured the four-seat net gain needed to take control of the Senate.

Democrats also crossed the 218-seat majority mark in the House, with CBS projecting that they would regain control of the chamber after four years. The final seat count was still being determined.

The change in congressional control will give Democrats greater power to challenge Trump's legislative agenda and scrutinise his administration when the new Congress begins in January.

Germany to continue working with US

Congratulating US Democrats on their "historic victory" in Congress, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin would continue working with Washington despite the change in control of the legislature.

"The US administration will remain the same, and we will continue to cooperate with it trustfully," Pistorius said while speaking at the Berlin Security Conference on Wednesday.

He added that he did not know what US President Donald Trump's plans for the near future looked like but stressed that Berlin would reach out to both Democrats and Republicans.