September 28, 2018
China has categorically rejected US President Donald Trump’s accusation that it meddled in US elections.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday that China categorically rejected US claims that it had meddled and was planning on interfering with US mid-term elections in November.
China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference and expects other countries to do the same Wang said.
“We did not, do not and will not interfere in the internal affairs of any country, and we don’t accept any groundless accusations made against China,” he said.
“We also urge other countries to follow the principles of the United Nations Charter, which forbids interference in any nation’s internal affairs,” he said.
Trump’s claims
Wang was responding to claims made by President Trump earlier at the summit where he alleged that China was trying to control the US electoral process to counter damaging tariffs that his administration had put in place.
“China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election, coming up in November. Against my administration… They do not want me or us to win because I am the first president ever to challenge China on trade,” Trump said.
While Trump did not immediately provide any evidence for his accusations he later took to Twitter to post photograph extracts published in the Des Moines Register (a politically important newspaper in the US State of Iowa).
“China is actually placing propaganda ads in the Des Moines Register and other papers, made to look like news. That’s because we are beating them on Trade, opening markets, and the farmers will make a fortune when this is over!” he tweeted.
Economic Tariffs and Sanctions
The United States this week placed an additional US $200 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese goods. This is in addition to the US $50 billion that it had already placed on Chinese products.
Trump said that he is forced to levy the taxes because of a huge bilateral trade surplus that China enjoys. The president also accuses Beijing of technology and intellectual property theft and argues that China unfairly manipulates its currency and installs non-trade barriers to benefit its businesses and economy.
China denies these charges and has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization.
For US consumers, the tariffs could mean higher prices on Chinese products like cheap electronics and other consumer goods and also increase the price of products manufactured in China like iPhones and Computers.