Antony Blinken claims China is trying to 'influence and interfere' in upcoming US presidential election

On the final day of his three-day visit to China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that despite prior statements from Chinese President Xi Jinping, China will “influence and undoubtedly influence the upcoming US presidential election.” He said the United States had observed signs that the United States was attempting to intervene. The head of state should refrain from such actions, CNN report.

In an interview with CNN On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared his views on China's attempts to influence the upcoming US election. These comments came after he visited China and spent hours discussing a variety of controversial topics with senior Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping. Key issues raised during his visit included U.S. technology control and Beijing's support for Moscow.

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Blinken said President Joe Biden reiterated the message he gave Xi Jinping at a summit in San Francisco last November, urging him not to interfere in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

In response, President Xi promised that China would not do such a thing. Asked whether China had previously violated Xi's commitments to Biden, Blinken said: “Generally speaking, we have seen evidence of attempts to influence and certainly interfere. “We want to end that as soon as possible.”

“I wanted them to hear that message again because any interference by China in our elections is something we are watching very closely and is completely unacceptable to us.” he added.

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Blinken also said he was concerned about China and other countries exploiting existing social divisions in the United States in influence campaigns, according to the report.

The Chinese government has consistently stated that it will not interfere in US elections, citing the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs. But China, or groups believed to have ties to the Chinese government, have faced allegations of political interference in other countries, including Canada.

Despite the official position, these claims suggest that China's actions are not always consistent with its publicly stated principles.

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Blinken's visit to China is his second in less than a year and is part of a series of high-level engagements that build on the progress made at the Biden-Xi summit late last year. These recent exchanges indicate that previously tense bilateral communications between the two countries are gradually expanding.

“While we are (currently) focused on areas of cooperation, we are also speaking openly about our differences, which is important to avoid competition that turns into conflict,” Blinken said. He said.

(With inputs from ANI)