Republican Donald Trump claimed victory on Wednesday in a tightly contested race against Vice-President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, to become the 47th president of the United States.

US media reported that Trump had secured more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to clinch the presidency.

Trump, in a speech delivered early Wednesday at his election headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida, promised to heal the nation.

"We are going to help our country heal," he said. "We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly. We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country."

Trump also said that he would unite the country, adding that the time had come to "put the division of the past four years behind us".

World leaders sent congratulations after Trump claimed victory in the election, signaling his political comeback four years after leaving the White House.

French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders of member countries of the European Union congratulated Trump, saying they were ready to work together but would defend Europe's interests.

Macron was among the first to congratulate Trump, saying that he is ready to work together, just as before. But in another message on X, Macron said he also spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after Trump's election night speech to supporters.

France and Germany "will work for a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe in this new context, by cooperating with the United States of America and defending our interests and our values", Macron wrote on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office that Trump's "return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America".

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looked forward to renewing collaboration with Trump, to strengthen the "comprehensive global and strategic partnership" between the two countries.

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba congratulated Trump on Wednesday on his victory and expressed his wish "to take the Japan-US alliance and Japan-US relationship to new heights".

In Russia, the Kremlin reacted cautiously on Wednesday after Trump declared victory in the US presidential election, saying the US was still a hostile state.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Trump had made some important statements about wanting to end the Ukraine crisis during his campaign, but only time would tell if they lead to action. Peskov said he was not aware of any plans by President Vladimir Putin to congratulate Trump on his victory.

When asked whether the outcome of the US general election would affect China's US policy, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at Wednesday's daily news briefing that China's policy on the US has remained consistent.

"China will continue to view and handle China-US relations under the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation," Mao said.

"The presidential election of the United States is its internal affair. China respects the choice of the American people," she added.

Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, said that China and the US must pay attention to stabilizing their relationship, which will require high-level attention and people-to-people exchanges.

Michael Davidson and Margaret Pearson, scholars at the Brookings Institution, had said in an article published two weeks ago that climate change would remain a key issue in the US-China relationship. They added that, regarding climate, the two countries need to find common ground in technology innovation, industrial policy and climate finance.