NOS News•today, 04:45
US Secretary of State Blinken says his country has seen evidence that China is trying to “influence and interfere” in the upcoming US presidential election. He made his comments in an interview with CNN at the end of a three-day trip to China.
Blinken did not provide details on how the election would be affected, but called it “totally unacceptable.” The minister further said that he had repeated President Biden’s warning in China. Last fall, he said at a summit with Chinese President Xi that Beijing should not interfere in the presidential elections. Xi would have agreed to that. China has often said that it does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
Six years ago, then US President Trump said that China was trying to influence the midterm elections. Those statements at the UN Security Council in New York were also not further explained.
TikTok
Blinken was in China for the second time in ten months to improve the fragile relationship between the major powers. The countries differ on many issues, such as the Taiwan issue, the US export ban on advanced technology and plans in the US to ban the use of the Chinese video app TikTok.
Washington also disagrees with Beijing’s support for Moscow. Blinken told CNN that the US and other countries will take measures if Beijing continues with that support. It was not clear what kind of measures were involved.
Xi said during Blinken’s visit that there had been “some positive progress” in the relationship with the US in recent months. He also said the countries should be partners and not rivals.
