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President Trump chairs a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on September 26, 2018 in New York. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
NEW YORK – President Trump Wednesday accused China of intervening in the mid-term elections this fall, in retaliation for the ongoing trade war between Washington and Beijing.
"Unfortunately, we found that China was trying to interfere in our upcoming 2018 elections, in November, against my administration," Trump told a meeting of the US Security Council on -proliferation.
"They do not want us or us to win because I'm the first president to challenge China on trade and we win over trade – we win at every level," said the president. "We do not want them to interfere or interfere in our upcoming elections."
Trump has not presented any evidence of his claims, and his key national security advisers said in August that they found no examples of interference before the deadlines of countries other than Russia, although they warned that it was still possible. In his remarks at the Security Council meeting, Trump made no mention of Russian interference.
Chinese state media bought a four-page advertising supplement in the Iowa Des Moines book this week, touting China as "an example for the whole world" and even noting that President Xi Jinping had studied in the state while he was a student in exchange. But China, Russia and other countries have been buying such ads for many years.
Trump's accusation is expected to reverberate in Beijing, where Chinese leaders are increasingly convinced that the Trump administration is pursuing a strategy to contain the country's economic growth. Proponents of the ruling Communist Party have emphasized Trump's and his collaborators' harsh rhetoric as proof that the United States is seeking to punish China.
[China says the U.S. is ‘holding a knife to our neck’ in trade war]
Both parties engaged in a rapidly escalating trade war, both of which applied tariffs on over $ 250 billion worth of goods. Trump boasted that the US economy is at a record high as China struggles to prove that the US is winning the conflict.
But economists have warned that the tariff battle could cause damage to both parties in the long run if an agreement is not reached.
In August, Trump seems to hint at possible Chinese interference in a tweet.
"All fools who focus on Russia alone should start looking in another direction, China," he wrote at that time. "But in the end, if we are smart, strong and well prepared, we will get along with everyone!"
In a speech to the United States General Assembly on Tuesday, Mr. Trump said he maintained "great respect and affection for my friend, President Xi," but said added that "our trade imbalance is simply not acceptable. Distortions in the Chinese market and how they are treated can not be tolerated. "
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