China has vehemently denied allegations made by former President Donald Trump that Beijing sought to manipulate the results of the 2020 US election. The Chinese Foreign Ministry called Trump's claims "entirely fabricated" and issued a warning that such accusations risk jeopardizing President Xi Jinping's planned state visit to the United States in September.
Trump, speaking Thursday night, asserted that China hacked American voter files and harvested the personal data of 220 million voters, alleging that his own intelligence agencies suppressed this information. He claimed a "data exploitation unit" in mainland China was responsible for the data breach, which he stated included names, addresses, phone numbers, and political party preferences.
In response, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that the country has "no interest in interfering in US elections and has never done so." The spokesperson characterized Trump's claims as an attempt to "vilify China" and accused Washington of "wantonly" interfering in the democratic elections of other nations. While China firmly denied the allegations, it did not threaten diplomatic retaliation or demand a retraction.
This diplomatic tension arises as President Xi is scheduled to visit New York City on September 24 for the United Nations General Assembly. The visit is notable as it would be the first state visit by a Chinese leader to the US in over a decade, an invitation initially extended by Trump himself during a trip to Beijing in May 2026. The summit was expected to address trade and technology disputes between the two global economic powers.
Trump's resurfacing of these claims, less than four months before the US midterm elections, has drawn criticism. Democrats have suggested he is preparing to contest election outcomes he dislikes. Trump, however, stated his intention was not to undermine confidence in elections but rather to "earn that confidence by confronting vulnerabilities and correcting them very, very quickly."
No evidence of voting machine insecurity or fraud in the 2020 election has been established.