China blasts ‘unfounded smears’ as Trump’s election claims threaten diplomatic thaw

Lead

US President Donald Trump has accused China of interfering in American elections, including the 2020 vote, in a prime-time address that strained a fragile thaw in bilateral relations. China's foreign ministry has rejected the allegations as "pure fabrication and malicious slander."

Coverage Comparison

The BBC and the South China Morning Post reported on Trump's speech, which he delivered from the White House on Thursday. The speech lasted nearly 30 minutes and was given three months before the midterm elections. Trump alleged "shocking vulnerabilities" in American voting systems and said he had declassified hundreds of intelligence files supporting his claims that Beijing tried to sway the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden. The US intelligence community has previously concluded that China did not interfere in that election, as BBC noted.

The South China Morning Post highlighted that Trump's claims are not new – he made similar assertions in 2018 and 2020 – but that the latest were his most sweeping and pointed yet. The newspaper also noted that the address barely touched on other issues such as the Iran war.

TASS reported that Trump acknowledged US attempts to influence political processes in China, quoting him as saying, "But look, they do things and we do things to them. I'll be honest, we do things to them, too. It's not a one-way street."

China's response was uniformly conveyed across the outlets, with foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian calling the allegations "entirely fabricated, maliciously slanderous and have long been proven completely groundless," as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Key Claims

In his address, Trump accused China of the "illicit acquisition" of 220 million voter files, including personal information. He said voter data in 18 states was "bought, stolen or hacked by China" and accused those responsible for sounding the alarm of not disclosing the discovery to government officials or Congress, as reported by BBC. The South China Morning Post elaborated that the stolen files included names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences and other sensitive data.

Trump also alleged that US voting machines are "extremely exposed" to interference by foreign adversaries, including Russia, China and Iran, a claim reported by multiple outlets. He further claimed that Iran, China, North Korea, and Russia are adversaries attempting to influence US elections, as reported by TASS.

Additionally, Trump alleged that China had paid US journalists to write negative articles about his administration during his first term, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

Trump did not present evidence that China had used the information it allegedly gathered to alter voting systems or influence election outcomes, BBC noted.

China's Response

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian dismissed the allegations at a briefing, stating, "Such statements by the US side are pure fabrication and malicious slander." He reiterated China's principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries, saying Beijing "has never been interested in doing so, and has never interfered in elections in the United States."

Lin added that Washington's allegations are "groundless, as has long been proven" and urged the United States to "stop making baseless accusations against China, stop using China as a pretext in discussions about elections, and do more to promote China-US relations."

He also countered that "it is the United States that interferes in the internal affairs of other countries at every opportunity and has long conducted widespread surveillance," and that the international community is fully aware of large-scale theft of confidential data by the US, as reported by TASS.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington told Reuters that Beijing "has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections," as quoted by BBC.

Perspectives

US President Donald Trump: Accused China of interfering in US elections, including the 2020 vote, citing intelligence files and alleged theft of 220 million voter files. He also acknowledged US attempts to influence political processes in China, saying "we do things to them, too."

Chinese Foreign Ministry (Spokesman Lin Jian): Rejected the allegations as "pure fabrication and malicious slander," reaffirming China's principle of non-interference and urging Washington to stop baseless accusations.

US Intelligence Community: Previously concluded that China did not interfere in the 2020 election, as noted by BBC.

Senate Democrats (Chuck Schumer): Accused Trump of attempting to sow doubts about the security of the upcoming midterm elections, with Schumer posting, "Let's be clear - in America, voters choose their leaders, not the other way around."