China Refutes Trump's 2020 US Election Interference Claims, Says US Polls Are 'Internal Matter'

Washington: China has firmly rejected US President Donald Trump's allegations that Beijing interfered in the 2020 US presidential election, insisting that it has "never and will never" interfere in American elections.

In a statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Washington ahead of Trump's address, Beijing dismissed the allegations and reiterated its long-standing policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

"China has all along adhered to the principle of non-interference in others' internal affairs," the embassy said.

Calling the US election "an internal matter of the United States," the statement added that its outcome "is determined by the votes of the American people."

"China has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections of the United States," the embassy said, directly rebutting Trump's allegations.

The response came after Trump announced the declassification of intelligence documents that he claimed expose "shocking vulnerabilities" in America's election infrastructure and alleged that China orchestrated one of the largest compromises of US election data during the 2020 election cycle.

Speaking at the White House, Trump claimed China obtained approximately 220 million US voter files, including names, addresses, phone numbers and political affiliations, describing it as "the largest compromise of election data in history."

He alleged the breach created "an unprecedented election security nightmare" and accused members of the US intelligence community of covering up China's alleged efforts to influence the 2020 election.

Trump claimed the newly declassified documents reveal a "deep state" effort to suppress information related to China's alleged election activities, saying intelligence officials concealed the information from both the president and the American public.

He also alleged that the Chinese government sought to identify American journalists who had written negatively about him and offered them financial incentives to publish more critical stories before the election. However, the president did not provide evidence to support the claim.

Announcing further action, Trump said he has directed the Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to investigate those responsible for the alleged cover-up and pursue criminal charges where warranted.

Reiterating his criticism of electronic voting systems, Trump argued that US election infrastructure remains vulnerable to cyberattacks and foreign interference. He cited what he described as an intelligence assessment stating that countries including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, along with non-state actors, possess the capability to compromise US election infrastructure.

However, Trump's allegations contrast with an unclassified US intelligence community assessment released in January 2021, which found no indication that any foreign actor attempted or succeeded in altering any technical aspect of the 2020 presidential election, including voter registration systems, ballots, vote tabulation or election results.

The assessment, prepared under then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe-who now serves as CIA Director in Trump's administration-concluded that while some foreign actors attempted to influence public opinion, there was no evidence that any country changed votes or manipulated election outcomes.

The assessment had been briefed to Trump and senior administration officials on January 7, 2021, shortly before the end of his first term. While a minority view suggested there was limited evidence that China sought to influence public opinion against Trump, the broader intelligence community concluded Beijing did not ultimately seek to influence the outcome of the election.

China's latest statement marks its strongest public rebuttal yet to Trump's renewed allegations, setting up a fresh diplomatic flashpoint as the US president pushes for investigations into what he claims was a years-long cover-up of China's role in the 2020 election.

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