China on Friday vehemently denied accusations made by President Donald Trump that Beijing has been working to influence the results of U.S. elections, labeling the claims as "entirely fabricated." The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the allegations are part of an effort to vilify China.
Trump asserted in a Thursday evening speech that "in mid-2018, China was working to influence the results of the U.S. midterm elections and later the results of the 2020 presidential election itself." He further claimed that newly released documents showed Central Intelligence Agency reporting explicitly stated that the Chinese Communist Party's policy was to leverage elements opposed to the U.S. president to reduce his votes or prevent his reelection. Trump suggested that this was why China wanted him to lose, as he was aware of their activities. He also accused elements within the U.S. intelligence community of operating a "shadow government" to conceal evidence of China's alleged election influence efforts.
"We have no interest in interfering in US elections and have never done so," stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. When asked about potential impacts on an expected visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the U.S. in September, Jian urged the U.S. to "stop making an issue of China in its elections and do something conducive to China-U.S. relations."
Trump did not allege that China had altered or changed votes, but rather contended that Beijing engaged in an influence campaign aimed at shaping U.S. public perceptions. He pointed to an email allegedly from a National Security Agency analyst that read, "We have deliberately massaged our one pending [presidential daily brief] to avoid any direct links to the election." Trump claimed that those responsible for raising alarms instead kept the information secret.
Trump used these disclosures to advocate for the passage of the SAVE America Act, which he cast as necessary to tighten federal election rules. The bill passed the House of Representatives in February but failed to advance in the Senate. Trump urged Americans to contact their senators and representatives to demand its passage.
In parallel, the Trump administration announced it would shorten visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. to 240 days, and specifically to 90 days for Chinese journalists. China's Foreign Ministry described this decision as "discriminatory" and stated it would impede the work of Chinese media in the U.S. Beijing urged the U.S. to immediately revoke these policies and safeguard the lawful rights of Chinese journalists, adding that China "reserves the right to take reciprocal countermeasures."