U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken revealed on Friday that the United States has detected signs of Chinese efforts to “influence and potentially interfere” with the upcoming elections.
During an interview with CNN after his three-day visit to China, Blinken discussed his meetings with top Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping. Xi had previously assured President Joe Biden that China would refrain from interfering in the 2024 election.
While attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, Biden and Xi had their first face-to-face meeting in a year, during which Biden raised concerns about potential Chinese election interference. Xi, in response, reiterated China’s commitment to staying out of the election.
However, Blinken stated on Friday that evidence suggests attempts by China to influence and potentially interfere in the elections. He emphasized the need to swiftly address such attempts, reiterating that any form of interference by China is unacceptable to the United States.
Blinken also expressed concerns about China and other countries exploiting existing social divisions in the U.S. for influence campaigns. Despite China’s repeated assertions of non-interference in U.S. elections based on its principle of respecting other countries’ internal affairs, there have been accusations of political interference by China or affiliated actors in other countries.
Moreover, Blinken issued a warning to China regarding potential further action by the U.S. in response to its support of Russia. The U.S. has attributed Chinese support to enabling Russia’s escalation of military capabilities, including increased production of tanks, munitions, and armored vehicles for its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
“We’ve communicated to China that if these actions persist, we will escalate our response, and we anticipate that other countries will do the same,” Blinken asserted. “We expect China to take action, and if they fail to do so, we will.”
