China responded on Friday after President Trump accused the country of trying to sway the 2020 presidential election, dismissing his claims as “a complete fabrication.”
During a prime-time speech the night before, Trump mentioned that newly released documents “show that the CIA report explicitly states,” and quoted it, saying, “in mid-2018, the Chinese Communist Party’s policy was to exploit any domestic or foreign element that opposed the President of the United States in order to reduce his vote and force him to resign or prevent his re-election.”
He elaborated, suggesting that “they wanted me to lose because they knew I was smart for them,” while also accusing U.S. intelligence officials of operating a “shadow government” to conceal evidence of Chinese election interference.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, retorted that “the relevant claims by the United States are completely fabricated and aimed at defaming China.” He emphasized, “We have no interest in interfering with U.S. elections, and we have never done so.”
Regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to the U.S. in September, a spokesperson urged the United States to refrain from making China an election issue, suggesting it could benefit U.S.-China relations.
Trump clarified he was not claiming that China altered vote counts, but rather that there was a campaign aimed at influencing American public perception.
He pointed out that intelligence officials allegedly withheld crucial reports in presidential briefings, citing an email from a National Security Agency analyst who indicated, “We intentionally massaged pending reports” to avoid any connection with the elections.
Trump accused those in charge of sounding alarms of keeping information hidden from him as president and others.
Using this information, Trump pushed Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, arguing that the newly released intelligence should prompt lawmakers to strengthen federal election rules ahead of the midterms.
The SAVE America Act had passed the House in February but encountered hurdles in the Senate in March, where it failed to achieve the necessary 60 votes for passage. Trump urged Americans to contact their senators and representatives to pass the bill “without delay.”
Additionally, the Trump administration revealed plans to shorten visas for foreign journalists from several years to 240 days and limit Chinese journalists’ visas to just 90 days. China’s Foreign Ministry condemned this decision as “discriminatory,” asserting it would impede the work of Chinese media in the U.S.
Lin Jian called on the U.S. to rescind its policies affecting Chinese journalists, stating, “China reserves the right to take reciprocal countermeasures.”
