China Denies Trump's Accusations of Interference in US Elections

The Chinese government on Friday denied accusations by US President Donald Trump that Beijing interfered in American elections. “The United States’ accusations have no basis in fact and are aimed at smearing China,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing. Trump had earlier alleged that since the 2020 election cycle, China obtained 220 million US voter data records, calling it “the greatest compromise of voter data in history.” In a nationally televised primetime address, Trump announced the declassification of intelligence documents which he claimed showed widespread foreign interference and serious vulnerabilities in the US electoral system. Lin, however, stated that similar accusations had long been proven groundless. “China adheres firmly to the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other countries. China is not interested in interfering in the US elections and has never done so,” he said. Lin instead questioned “who has been arbitrarily interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, indiscriminately surveilling governments, businesses, and societies around the world over a long period, and compromising the data of citizens of other nations on a massive scale.” The United States is scheduled to hold midterm elections in November 2026. Trump, citing a CIA report, said that as early as mid-2018 during his first term, the Chinese Communist Party had a policy to “use all elements at home and abroad” to oppose him in an effort to reduce his potential vote share in the 2020 election, push him to resign, or thwart his re-election.