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China's 2020 US election interference denial came even before Trump's allegation
"China has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections of the US," Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Chang dismissed the accusations.
The Chinese embassy on Friday categorically denied the country having any role in determining the outcome of the 2020 US elections which Donald Trump had lost. Notably, the clarification preceded the US President's fresh allegation on the same day.
Hours before Trump accused China of interfering in the election, Beijing's categorical denial came, setting the stage for a fresh dispute over claims that US intelligence agencies had previously concluded were unsupported by evidence. The US president on Thursday (local time) released declassified documents that he said pointed to Chinese election interference.
The move came as Trump renewed his push for tighter election rules ahead of the November midterm elections, where Republicans will be defending their congressional majorities. However, even before the president delivered his remarks, China firmly rejected the allegations.
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China rejects Trump's claims
Responding to questions even before Trump's address, Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Chang dismissed the accusations.
"China has never and will never interfere in the presidential elections of the US," Liu said, reported news agency Reuters.
During his 25-minute speech, Trump claimed he was releasing sensitive intelligence showing that China had unlawfully obtained data from 220 million US voter files, including names, addresses and other voter registration information. He also alleged that members of the US intelligence community had deliberately concealed the extent of China's activities.
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The Reuters report however added that Trump's allegations stand in contrast to a declassified 2021 assessment by the US intelligence community, which concluded there were no indications that any foreign actor altered or successfully interfered with "any technical aspect" of the 2020 election, the report added.
The report found no evidence of manipulation involving voter registration systems, ballots, vote tabulation or election results. Notably, the assessment was conducted under then-Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who now serves as CIA director.
According to Reuters, some White House officials privately expressed concern ahead of Trump's speech that the release of the China-related information could be misleading.
Documents appear to undercut Trump's narrative
Trump also said he was declassifying information that would expose "shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure."
However, several of the documents released appeared to contradict that claim or were unrelated to US election systems altogether. One CIA document focused on Venezuela's election rather than the American electoral process.
Another document stated: "We assess that vote tabulation systems would be difficult to manipulate on a wide enough scale to compromise election results."
A separate CIA assessment described Chinese intelligence efforts targeting Biden's campaign but noted that Beijing "does not currently intend to covertly interfere to try to sway the outcome of the election," while adding that China could reconsider its position later.
Trump revives election fraud claims
The declassification marks the latest chapter in Trump's years-long campaign questioning US election integrity. Since the 2020 election, he has repeatedly and falsely claimed that his defeat was rigged, while also alleging widespread fraud involving mail-in ballots, voting machines and non-citizen voting.
Multiple courts, audits and recounts have found no evidence of widespread fraud that would have changed the outcome of the election.
Trump has also urged Republicans in Congress to pass legislation introducing stricter voter identification and citizenship requirements, even as studies and official reviews have consistently found voter fraud in US elections to be rare.
The renewed focus on Chinese interference comes at a sensitive time in US-China relations. Trump's sharp rhetoric risks unsettling ties that had stabilised after last year's costly trade war.
The US president is expected to seek a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in September as part of efforts to improve trade relations between the world's two largest economies.
