Beiijing seeks to 'interfere' in upcoming US elections, says Blinken

ISTANBUL

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday accused China of attempting to "influence and arguably interfere" with the upcoming US elections.

"We have seen, generally speaking, evidence of attempts to influence and arguably interfere, and we want to make sure that that's cut off as quickly as possible," Blinken in an interview with broadcaster CNN at the end of a three-day visit to China.

During the trip, Blinken met with key Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, to discuss various issues between the two countries including US technology regulations and China's stance on Russia.

The top US diplomat said that in his discussions with Xi, he had pointed to an earlier warning by US President Joe Biden against interfering in the 2024 US elections.

"Any interference by China in our election is something that we’re looking very carefully at and is totally unacceptable to us, so I wanted to make sure that they heard that message again," he noted.

In the 2018 elections, ex-President Donald Trump also accused China of attempting to interfere in the midterm elections over trade disputes with his administration.

Beijing has consistently stated its policy of non-interference in US elections, citing its broader principle of respecting other countries' internal affairs.

However, entities linked to China, including those suspected to have ties to Beijing, have faced accusations of political interference in places like Canada.