With the presidential elections and the riots on Capitol Hill occurring within the past few months, most of the world has been looking in on America, especially on the Inauguration of President Joe Biden. Many world leaders immediately congratulated Biden on his new position, and for the most part, they welcomed him as a prominent figure like themselves. Because former President Trump tarnished alliances with numerous countries, international leaders are hoping Biden will help mend estrangement initiated by Trump in many countries.

Tension between Beijing and the US was ignited when the Trump Administration accused the other party of committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims. The refutation from China conveys that they are trying to boost economic growth and denies any crimes against humanity. Under Biden, the US should “[…] look at China rationally and objectively, meet China halfway and, in the spirit of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, push China-US relations back to the right track of healthy and stable development as soon as possible,” said Hua Chunying, Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesperson.

During his term, Trump often scorned the Europeans for their method of trading, which inspired the indifference between the two nations. As a result, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has expressed her contentment with the transition of power in America. “This new dawn in America is the moment we’ve been waiting for so long. Europe is ready for a new start with our oldest and most trusted partner,” said von der Leyen. Another notable leader that congratulated Biden was French President Emmanuel Macron who posted a positive Tweet to commemorate the moment. “We are together. We will be stronger to face the challenges of our time. Stronger to build our future. Stronger to protect our planet. Welcome back to the Paris Agreement,” Macron said. In 2017, the Trump Administration disengaged from the Paris Agreement on climate change matters but Biden accepted Macron’s suggestion on Inauguration Day.

Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, was not a fan of Trump or his policies so he hopes that ties between Iran and the US will improve under Biden’s administration. “The ball is in the US’ court now. If Washington returns to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal, we will also fully respect our commitments under the pact,” Rouhani said. While Biden was Vice President in 2015, the nuclear deal was signed but was retracted during Trump’s term. Currently, Biden is inclined to rejoin the deal but his association seeks more negotiations before proceeding, but Iran is adamant about not changing the details of the deal.

Although there is an abundance of people that are upset about the transition of power in the US, many leaders around the world are pleased at the major change. With many countries offering propositions, Biden has the ability to mend relationships or even ruin some of them depending on how he acts in the next few years. Nonetheless, leaders internationally are enthusiastic about forming alliances with the US so we can only hope that a repeat of the last four years does not reoccur while Biden is in office.