Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday congratulated Donald Trump on his election win and urged that Beijing and Washington must find a way to "get along," state media reported.
Trump's presidential victory ushers in a new era of uncertainty in the United States and the world and heralds a possible shift in U.S.-China relations, which have been frayed in recent years by tensions over issues such as trade and the status of self-ruled Taiwan.
In his first message to Trump since the former president secured a second term, Xi said, "History has shown that China and the United States benefit from cooperation and suffer from confrontation," state broadcaster CCTV said.
CCTV did not specify how the message was conveyed.
"A stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship is in the common interest of both countries and is in line with the expectations of the international community," Xi said.
He called for Washington and Beijing to "strengthen dialogue and communication" and "properly manage differences."
The two countries must "find a correct way ... to get along in this new era, to benefit both countries and the world," Xi said.
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng also sent a message to Vice President-elect JD Vance, CCTV said.
Both Republican Trump and his Democratic rival Kamala Harris had pledged to take a tougher stance on Beijing. But Trump escalated the rhetoric, vowing to slap 60% tariffs on all Chinese goods entering the United States.
The president-elect aims to "restore some level of balance in the U.S.-China trade," said Yun Sun, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center. "Given his tactics of 'maximum pressure' before striking a deal, I do expect him to impose the tariff," she added.
'Mutual respect'
On Thursday, Beijing warned there would be "no winners" in a trade war, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying it would not be "conducive to the world."
Xi and Trump have met four times previously, with Trump emphasizing his "very strong relationship" with the Chinese leader. Trump has also claimed he could deter Xi from attacking Taiwan with threats of 150% tariffs.
Analysts indicated that the election outcome would be a key topic at this week's gathering of top lawmakers in Beijing, which is aimed at ironing out a stimulus plan to boost China's struggling economy.
Chief among the concerns will be how Beijing responds to Trump's expected tariff increase, which asset managers at PineBridge Investments suggest could impact $500 billion worth of Chinese exports.
"We expect the Chinese government to respond with limited retaliation and more domestic policy support to the economy, to partially offset the negative impact," said Tao Wang, chief China economist at UBS Investment Research.