Biden says Senate election result strengthens his position in talks with Xi

US president will meet Chinese counterpart for first time amid tensions over trade, human rights and Taiwan

US President Joe Biden in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he is attending the Asean summit. AP

US President Joe Biden said he will enter an intense meeting with China's President Xi Jinping on Monday with a stronger hand after US voters returned control of the Senate to his Democratic Party.

“I know I’m coming in stronger,” Mr Biden said of his meeting with Mr Xi as he celebrated his party’s victory in Cambodia, where he is attending a summit with Asian leaders.

The two men will meet in-person for the first time in Mr Biden’s presidency on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia. Since Mr Biden took office, the relationship between the world’s biggest economies has deteriorated over economic competition, human rights issues and rising tensions between China and Taiwan.

“I know Xi Jinping, he knows me,” Mr Biden said. “We have very little misunderstanding. We’ve just got to figure out what the red lines are.”

Mr Biden applauded voter turnout in the midterm elections and told reporters that the Democratic wins were “a reflection of the quality of our candidates”.

He phoned Catherine Cortez Masto, whose win in Nevada on Saturday gave the Democrats 50 seats in the Senate, and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer to extend his congratulations.

Ms Cortez Masto beat Republican Adam Laxalt by less than one percentage point. Mr Laxalt is expected to challenge the result.

Assuming her victory stands, Mr Biden will have an easier time winning confirmation for his nominees to the federal court system, including the Supreme Court, and should have less trouble placing his choices in positions at agencies throughout the government. In his first two years, Mr Biden got 84 federal judges confirmed, including one Supreme Court justice.

US midterm elections — in pictures

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a Democrat rally in Washington, as President Joe Biden and their spouses Jill Biden and Doug Emhoff listen. Bloomberg

Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, speaks at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. Former astronaut and Democratic candidate Mark Kelly defeated his Republican rival in Arizona's senate race. Reuters

Maricopa County recorder Stephen Richer, left, opens mail-in ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. Ballots were being counted in Maricopa County three days after voters went to the polls for the midterm election in Arizona. AFP

Election workers open mail-in ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. AFP

Staff scan ballots for the US midterm elections at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. Reuters

Election workers open mail-in ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. AFP

In a divided America, a political campaign sign sits abandoned at the roadside in Phoenix, Arizona, two days after the midterms. AFP

Ballots are processed in Las Vegas. Getty Images

Election officials give a press conference in Maricopa County, Arizona, where ballots were still being counted two days after the midterms. AFP

Ballots are carried to be scanned in Philadelphia. Reuters

Mr Biden was all smiles during a news conference in the White House. Bloomberg

An election worker sorts ballots in Las Vegas. AFP

Election workers sort ballots at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre. AFP

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger holds a news conference in Atlanta. AP

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso gets a hug on stage at his election night headquarters in Los Angeles. AP

Paul Riley, father of Josh Riley, bows his head as election results come in at his son's election party in Binghamton, New York. Josh Riley, the Democratic candidate, ran against Republican Marc Molinaro. AP

Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks during election night in Detroit. AP

Supporters cheer during an election night event for Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr Fetterman defeated Republican Senate candidate Dr Mehmet Oz. AFP

Supporters watch news of a projected victory for Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania governor, Josh Shapiro, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Reuters

Republican J D Vance arrives with his wife Usha to declare victory in the Senatorial race in Columbus, Ohio. Reuters

New York Governor Kathy Hochul attends an event to celebrate her victory in the US midterm elections. Reuters

Representative Abigail Spanberger, of the Democratic party, speaks to supporters after her re-election, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. AP

Democrat Wes Moore, second from left, hugs his daughter, Mia, centre, as his mother, Joy Thomas Moore, left, son, Jamie, second from right, and wife, Dawn, look on, after he was declared the winner of the Maryland race for governor. AP

A supporter of Republican candidate Lee Zeldin reacts as media outlets predict results, in the race for governor, in favour of Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul. AP

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt celebrates his re-election, at a Republican Party watch party in Oklahoma City. AP

Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia Stacey Abrams speaks during her 2022 US midterm elections night party in Atlanta, Georgia. Her rival Brian Kemp won. Reuters

A woman arrives before Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters during an election night party in Tampa. AP

Voters wait in line at a polling station at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas. AP

A voter goes to cast their vote after filling out their ballot at a polling station inside The Shed arts centre in Manhattan. AP

A jogger runs past the Capitol Building in Washington. The US midterm elections are held every four years at the midpoint of each presidential term. EPA

Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis waves from the stage next to his wife Casey and children during his midterm elections party in Tampa. Reuters

A man in costume arrives for a Republican party 'Save America' rally before the US midterm elections, in Miami, Florida. AFP

US President Joe Biden, centre, poses for a selfie with supporters during a rally for Democratic candidates, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul, at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. AFP

A man marks his ballot during early voting in Lansing, Michigan. Reuters

A child attends a rally held by US President Joe Biden with Democratic nominee for Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Senator Chris Van Hollen and other Maryland Democrats, at Bowie State University. Reuters

Supporters cheer during a rally for Democratic candidates at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. AFP

State Representative Leslie Rossi poses by a giant cutout of former US President Donald Trump in front of the "Trump House", which she owns and created in 2016, in Youngstown, Pennsylvania. AFP

Republican candidate for US Senate for Arizona Blake Masters speaks at a rally in Queen Creek, Arizona. EPA

People in the crowd cheer during a campaign rally at Bowie State University in Maryland, which was attended President Joe Biden, the first lady, Jill Biden, Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore and Senator Chris Van Hollen. AP

Republican candidate for Arizona governor Kari Lake arrives for a campaign stop, in Phoenix. Reuters

Morgan Koetje and Nickolas Lentz from Reproductive Freedom for All, canvass a neighborhood in support of Proposal 3, a ballot measure that would codify the right to an abortion, one day before the midterm election in Dewitt, Michigan. Reuters

Republican candidate for US Senate Herschel Walker takes a picture with supporters in Kennesaw, Georgia during a "Unite Georgia Bus Stop" campaign rally on the eve of the midterm elections. AFP

Republican Senate candidate Val Demings speaks to supporters in Wilton Manors, Florida. AP

Senate hopeful Mehmet Oz addresses campaign rally in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. AP

Former president Donald Trump speaks at a rally in support of the campaign of Ohio Senate candidate JD Vance, at Dayton International Airport. AP

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive for the rally at Bowie State University, in Maryland. AP

Voters pass by a sign outside a polling site in Warwick, Rhode Island after casting their ballots on the last day of early voting before the midterm election. AP

Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams speaks to volunteers during an election eve phone and text bank party in Atlanta. AP

US Vice President Kamala Harris, left, points to Los Angeles mayoral candidate Representative Karen Bass, after speaking at a rally in Los Angeles. AP

Unless Democrats also keep control of the House, however, the president is unlikely to chalk up any major legislative breakthroughs before the 2024 presidential election.

Yet with his allies running the Senate, Mr Biden will not need to worry about using his veto to stop Republican attempts to ban abortion, block his regulations or gut climate and health measures he has already signed into law. And Republican efforts to cut taxes or federal spending will be subject to negotiation with Senate Democrats and the White House.

Control of the House of Representatives remains undecided, with about 20 seats still too close to call. Republicans need seven more victories to secure a majority. Mr Biden said it was still “a stretch” for his party to retain control of the House.

The Democrats’ performance defied expectations before the election that voters would hand Republicans control of at least one chamber of Congress by a wide margin in a rebuke to Mr Biden and his policies. Instead, the election has been far closer, with voters rejecting scores of candidates backed by former president Donald Trump in competitive races, including Mr Laxalt.

“The Republican Party,” Mr Biden said, “is going to have to decide who they are.”

The Democrats remained within reach of retaining the House after an upset victory late on Saturday in Washington, where Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was projected to have defeated Republican Joe Kent, a conservative former Green Beret who was endorsed by Mr Trump and had questioned the legitimacy of Mr Biden’s 2020 election.

The final composition of the Senate remains undecided. Voters in Georgia will return to the polls next month for a run-off election. If incumbent senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, retains his seat, Democrats would hold a 51-49 advantage.

Mr Biden said that with 51 senators, Democrats would have majorities in Senate committees responsible for clearing nominations — meaning the party would probably not be forced to spend precious floor time on procedural votes to advance candidates.

“It’s simply better,” he said. “The bigger the number the better.”