[ad_1]
BEIJING – China categorically denies President Trump's accusation that he interferes with the mid-term elections in November, implying that it is the United States that has a history of interference in the affairs of other countries. .
With a sharp acrimonious trade conflict and an increasingly conflicting security environment, the latest crisis could worsen the relationship between the two largest economies in the world.
"I think the international community knows very well who is the most accustomed to interfere in the internal affairs of others," Geng Shuang, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Thursday. He did not name the US directly but answered a question about Trump's Wednesday statement at the UN that Beijing was trying to influence the mid-term.
"They do not want me or us to win because I am the first president to challenge China on trade," Trump told a meeting of the US Security Council, "and we win at all levels."
But the president and his senior aides have not provided any evidence or even anecdotes to support the claim that China is mingling.
Trump's tree was triggered by a four-page supplement that China Daily, an English-language publication owned by the Chinese government, bought from the Des Moines register on Sunday.
When asked about the newspaper ads, Geng said the idea of an election interference was "totally wacky and fictional".
"We advise the United States to put an end to their unjustified accusations and slander against China and to refrain from any words or actions that could harm our bilateral relations and our fundamental interests," he said. .
[[[[China says US "hold knife" in trade war ]
The pages of the Des Moines register were arranged in a newspaper style, with a small note at the top labeling them as a China Daily supplement. The main title said "the duel undermines the benefits of trade" – exactly the same message that has been planted in Chinese public newspapers in recent weeks as the government tries to make clear that the trade war is bad for Americans.
Another title entitled "Dispute: Fruit of the President's Madness", although there was also lighter content – about robotics and a fashion entrepreneur and President Xi Jinping
China, among other countries, has long used advertisements in newspapers, including the Washington Post, to pass messages that it would be hard to convince professional journalists to print.
Iowa was the perfect target for China for several reasons. On the one hand, its status as the first state to vote in the first presidential campaign gives it a disproportionate influence on the US electoral process.
Secondly, it has a special status in bilateral relations. Long before becoming China's president, Xi traveled to Muscatine, Iowa, to learn more about agriculture. There, in 1985, he met Terry Branstad, a first-term governor. Thirty-two years later, with Chinese President Xi, Trump sent Branstad to Beijing as an American ambassador to capitalize on their long-standing relationship born in Iowa.
Third, Iowa, a major soybean producer and pork producer, will suffer greatly from a prolonged trade war.
China has imposed a 25% tariff on soybean imports, and there is already evidence that Chinese buyers, which account for about 60% of the world soybean market, are turning to other producers, such as South America.
According to a new Iowa State University study cited by the registry this week, Iowa farmers are expected to lose up to $ 2.2 billion because of the US trade wars. The effect of training would affect state tax revenues and could also affect jobs in the manufacturing and other sectors.
The Iowa governor's race promises to be very close. The latest polls suggest that Fred Hubbell, the Democratic candidate who wants to boost state exports, has an edge over outgoing Republican Kim Reynolds.
"Anyone who knows anything about China could have told Donald Trump that China would look for ways to fight back," he said. Paul Haenle, former adviser to China Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
"And now Trump is worried about being blamed when there is a GOP loss in Iowa, so he's trying to get ahead," Haenle said. now director of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center in Beijing.
[[[[The United States and China clash with the largest sets of tariffs ]
Chinese analysts were puzzled over the fact that Trump would qualify this type of advertising interference in the newspapers in a much more transparent way than what Russia is accused of doing in anticipation of the 2016 presidential election.
Russian agents are accused of stealing e-mails from the Democratic National Committee and using social media to spread misinformation and increase political tension before the vote. Twenty-five Russians and three companies were indicted for involvement in this effort following the inquiry of Special Adviser Robert S. Mueller III on Russia's interference in the election.
In a speech Wednesday in South Carolina, Daniel Coats, director of Trump's national intelligence, said China was "more methodical" than Russia.
"Unlike Russia, China often executes its strategy more deliberately and subtly, which tends to attract less attention from the media and the public," Coats said. Chinese authorities use "all the capabilities at their disposal to influence US policies, spread propaganda [and] manipulate the media. "
The accusations against China are "not helpful" in these tense times in bilateral relations, said Shen Dingli, professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai.
"How can the Chinese government prove that it did not do anything? The United States has to present the evidence, "he said. "By making these accusations without presenting any evidence, Trump degrades America's credibility."
The Global Times, a nationalist tabloid that often reflects the government's thinking, said Trump's accusations were part of his "creative campaign strategy" aimed at denigrating China and trying to attract more votes for Republicans to midterm.
The paper did not mince words on the recent rhetoric of the American president. "Trump regularly welcomes his achievements and has already declared victory over the trade war against China," he said in an editorial. "However, if all this were true, then Trump would not have to worry about China's interference in the US elections."
The trade dispute shows no sign of end soon. But China is still open to negotiations, said Thursday the spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, Gao Feng.
"If it is possible to resume consultations and negotiate, it depends entirely on the American side," he said. In any case, he added, "China's determination to safeguard its interests and development rights will not change."
Shen of Fudan University said that it was too early to say until the dispute was going to spread.
But if Trump's allegations were true, the interference could be beneficial for a majority of Americans, he added. "Every room has two sides," said Shen. "If China has interfered in the elections, most Americans would probably be happy because they also want to bring down Trump."
Yang Liu contributed to this report.
Read more:
Trump's trade war detonates China's designer bags
China thinks the trade war is not really about trade
China cancels trade talks with US as new Trump tariffs take shape
The current coverage of postal correspondents around the world
Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay informed about foreign news
[ad_2]Source link
