World reacts as Donald Trump becomes 45th US President

Washington: As Donald Trump stunned America and the world on Wednesday, riding a wave of populist resentment to defeat Hillary Clinton in the race to become the 45th president of the United States, congratulatory messages have poured in from different parts of the world.

Here is the world reaction to the US election result:

Hungary

Hungary's prime minister says Donald Trump's victory is "great news" and shows "democracy is still alive."

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been often criticised by the United States, including by Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state, for weakening the democratic system of checks and balances. Orban offered his congratulations to Trump on his Facebook page.

Orban, who returned to power in 2010 and last year built fences on Hungary's southern borders to stop the flow of migrants heading toward Western Europe, said in July that Trump's immigration policies made him the best candidate for Hungary and Europe.

In 2014, Orban famously declared his intentions of turning Hungary into an "illiberal state." His government has also been criticised by the US on issues like corruption, anti-Semitism and media freedom.

Philippines

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has lashed out at Barack Obama for criticizing his deadly anti-drug crackdown, has congratulated U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Duterte says he looks forward to working with the new American leader to further enhance the treaty allies' relations.

Duterte, who took office in June, has had an uneasy relation with the U.S. The 71-year-old leader has announced his desire to scale back joint combat drills with the U.S. military and end the presence of foreign troops, including Americans, in the country in two years.

In Duterte's statement on Trump's victory released by his spokesman, however, the tough-talking Philippine leader was unusually diplomatic.

"President Duterte wishes President-elect Trump success in the next four years as chief executive and commander-in chief of the U.S. military, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement. Duterte, he said, "looks forward to working with the incoming administration for enhanced Philippines-US relations anchored on mutual respect, mutual benefit and shared commitment to democratic ideals and the rule of law."

India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on being elected as US President, saying he looks forward to working with him closely to take Indo-US ties to a new height.

"Congratulations @realDonaldTrump on being elected as the 45th US President," Modi said in a tweet.

He said the country looks forward to working closely with Trump to strengthen bilateral ties.

"We look forward to working with you closely to take India-US bilateral ties to a new height," the Prime Minister said.

"We appreciate the friendship you have articulated towards India during your campaign, @realDonaldTrump," he said.

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in US elections, hoping to work with him to improve relations, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin "expressed hope for mutual work on bringing US-Russia relations out of their critical condition as well as on working out outstanding issues on the international agenda" in his congratulatory telegram, the Kremlin said.

"The President of Russia also expressed certainty that building constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington" would "be in the interest of the people of our countries and the entire world community."

Putin has tacitly supported Trump during the campaign, while Trump repeatedly flattered and praised the Russian leader and said he was willing to work with him.

Russia's parliament on Wednesday broke into applause upon learning of Trump's stunning upset victory over Hillary Clinton, who is seen as anti-Russian by many in the Russian establishment, mostly due to her stint as Secretary of State in 2009-2013.

Germany

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen calls the strong vote for Donald Trump "a big shock," and the U.S. elections "a vote against Washington, against the establishment."

Von der Leyen said on German public Television Wednesday that while many questions remain open, "We Europeans obviously know that as partners in the NATO, Donald Trump will naturally ask what 'are you achieving for the alliance,' but we will also ask 'what's your stand toward the alliance.'"

The defense minister said that behind the scenes the German government would try to make contacts on the working level to find out who are the new contact persons.

Netherlands

Dutch anti-Islam populist lawmaker Geert Wilders has tweeted his congratulations to Donald Trump.

Wilders, whose Freedom Party is riding high in opinion polls ahead of Dutch elections due in March, calls Trump's win in the presidential election "A historic victory! A revolution."

Looking ahead to the Dutch vote, Wilders finished his tweet, "We also will give our country back to the people of the Netherlands."

Wilders is known for his strident anti-Islam rhetoric and opposition to the Netherlands' European Union membership.

France

The first French presidential candidate to comment on the US election was populist, anti-immigrant politician Marine Le Pen, congratulating Trump even before the final results are known.

Le Pen, hoping to ride anti-establishment sentiment to victory in April-May French presidential elections, tweeted her support to the "American people, free!"

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said France would continue to work with the new president whoever wins the final tally, though expressed concern about Trump's lead and said it could hold a cautionary message for Europe.

"We don't want a world where egoism triumphs," Ayrault said on France-2 television Wednesday. France's Socialist government had openly endorsed Clinton.

Ayrault said European politicians should pay attention to the message from Trump voters. "There is a part of our electorate that feels abandoned," including people who feel "left behind" by globalization, he said.

He said a Trump victory could bring "more incertitude" to French politics.

Indonesia

Indonesians on social media are questioning why Americans have voted in big numbers for billionaire Donald Trump, who many in the world's most populous Muslim country perceive as intolerant and reactionary.

Twitter, Facebook and chatrooms in instant messaging apps are buzzing with speculation about whether Trump would follow through on campaign rhetoric that included a ban on Muslims entering the U.S.

Some people say that under a Trump administration they fear they'll be prevented from visiting relatives and friends who live in America or traveling there as tourists. About 100,000 Indonesians live in the United States.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo says on national television that his government will work with whoever becomes president.

Cuba

News of Trump's widening lead hit hard in Cuba, which has spent the last two years negotiating normalisation with the United States after more than 50 years of Cold War hostility.

Normalisation has set off a tourism boom in Cuba and visits by hundreds of executives from the U.S. and dozens of other nations newly interested in doing business on the island. Trump has promised to reverse Obama's opening with Cuba unless President Raul Castro agrees to more political freedom on the island, a concession considered a virtual impossibility.

Speaking of Cuba's leaders, Communist Party member and noted economist and political scientist Esteban Morales told the Telesur network that "they must be worried because I think this represents a new chapter."

Carlos Alzugaray, a political scientist and retired Cuban diplomat, said a Trump victory could, however, please some hard-liners in the Cuban leadership who worried that Cuba was moving too close to the United States too quickly.

While many Cubans were unaware of the state of the race early Wednesday morning, those watching state-run Telesur or listening to radio updates said they feared that a Trump victory would mean losing the few improvements they had seen in their lives thanks to the post-detente tourism boom.

"The little we've advanced, if he reverses it, it hurts us," taxi driver Oriel Iglesias Garcia said. "You know tourism will go down. If Donald Trump wins and turns everything back it's really bad for us."

Australia

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says at this stage, it would appear that Donald Trump is most likely to claim the presidency.

Bishop told reporters in Canberra, Australia's capital, that her government is ready to work with whomever the American people, "in their wisdom," choose to be their president.

She says a US presidential election is always a momentous occasion, and in this instance, "it has been a particularly bruising, divisive and hard-fought campaign."

She also says the new administration will face a number of challenges, including in Asia-Pacific, and Australia wants to work constructively with the new administration to ensure the continued presence and leadership of the United States in the region.

She calls the US "our major security ally" and the largest foreign direct investor and the second-largest trading partner.

She says, "The United States is also the guarantor and defender of the rules-based international order that has underpinned so much of our economic and security issues. And interests."

New Zealand

Watching the results of the U.S. election at a New Zealand bar, 22-year-old student Sarah Pereira says she is looking forward to working as an intern in the U.S. Congress, but dreads the prospect of Donald Trump winning the presidency.

Pereira, a master's student in strategic studies, says she will leave for Washington this weekend after winning a scholarship to work for Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks.

She predicts the effects of a Trump on international relationships would be "catastrophic."

Pereira commented while attending an event hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Wellington.

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulated Donald Trump on Wednesday on his election as US president and vowed that the countries will maintain their close relationship.

"I express my heartfelt congratulations on your election as the next president of the United States," Abe said in a statement.

"The stability of the Asia-Pacific region, which is the driving force of the global economy, brings peace and prosperity to the United States. Japan and the United States are unshakeable allies connected by common values such as freedom, democracy, basic human rights and rule of law," Abe said.

Concern in Japan, a close security ally of the US and a major trading partner, had grown during the campaign on Trump's opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.

He also called for Tokyo to pay more to support the two countries' security alliance.

Other Trump comments, suggesting that Japan, the only country to suffer atomic bomb attacks might want to consider developing nuclear weapons to combat threats from North Korea, also drew criticism.

China

China, often criticised for taking away American jobs, on Wednesday reacted cautiously to the election of Donald Trump as President, saying it will work with the new US government to ensure steady development of bilateral ties to benefit people of both countries.

"We are also watching and following the election and we will work with new US government to ensure steady and sound development of bilateral relations and benefit people of the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a media briefing in Beijing.

Preferring to wait for the official results, Kang said, "We hope new US government will work with China and work together for steady and sound development of bilateral relations. This will benefit the two countries and the entire world".

European Union

The European Union's foreign policy chief says that the trans-Atlantic ties with the United States go beyond the election of Donald Trump.

Federica Mogherini said Wednesday in a Twitter message that "EU-US ties are deeper than any change in politics. We'll continue to work together, rediscovering the strength of Europe."

EU Parliament President Martin Schulz said the result "must be respected" as he said that Trump "managed to become the standard-bearer of the angst and fears of millions of Americans."

Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says in a statement that he "congratulates the elected American president, Donald Trump, and hopes that peace will be achieved during his term."

An Abbas aide, Saeb Erekat, said Wednesday he doesn't expect U.S. positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to change under Trump.

Erekat said the Republican and Democratic parties are both committed to a two-state solution of the conflict and "I think this will not change with the coming administration."

The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967. Gaps between Abbas and Israel's hawkish leader on any border deal remain wide.

Trump has proposed moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, even though the US has not recognised Israel's annexation of parts of the city.