China welcomes Obama's youth amid financial fears

By Emma Graham-Harrison

BEIJING (Reuters) - China welcomed Barack Obama as a youthful president-elect with the energy to tackle the financial crisis now threatening their economy and an ethnic heritage that could help America reach out to the rest of the world.

Excitement about the billion dollar race filtered down to the streets of Beijing on Wednesday, where ordinary Chinese citizens who have never voted themselves and some who could not even name the candidates embraced Obama's message of change.

"The black guy is a good choice, he has so much more energy than the other one, who was far too old," said Han Xue, a new father who runs a small cigarette and alcohol store.

"Really I never thought a black man could become president."

But gathering economic storm clouds, which threaten to undermine decades of rapid growth, made the economic stance of the next leader of the United States as much of a priority abroad as it was to domestic voters.

"Most Chinese like Obama because we consider ourselves allied with the Third World. But Obama may be more ideological and that could be less good for China in terms of trade," said Wang Hongtao, studying for a doctorate at the Central Party School in Beijing, and following the results at an embassy election party.

Belt-tightening by U.S. consumers as their economy flounders has hit Chinese exporters in the "factory of the world" hard, even though strict controls have protected its banks from the worst of the financial tsunami rocking foreign competitors.

"Officials say there is no impact, but you only have to look around to see that the crisis is already affecting us," said retiree and firm Obama supporter Yu Ze, during a break from a ping-pong game in a Beijing park.