Despite official denials, China has eyes on U.S. election

FPI / August 25, 2024

Geostrategy-Direct

The official news feeds of China’s propaganda outlets conveys the bland message that the Communist Party leadership has no preference on who wins the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

China watchers with no financial ties to Beijing see such official statements as a façade and know the Xi Jinping regime is closely watching the U.S. election and not as a passive observer.

The Democrat ticket, presidential candidate Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz, are expected to broaden the Biden administration’s China engagement policies, said Bradley Thayer, a China analyst with the Center for Security Policy.

“Harris-Walz will be the most pro-PRC administration in history and so will permit the PRC to advance its interests in international politics without fear of being checked by U.S. power and the strong opposition that was evinced in the first Trump administration,” Thayer said.

As president, Donald Trump sharply changed U.S. policy toward China by declaring Beijing a strategic competitor, security correspondent Bill Gertz notes. After trying to negotiate a new trade accord with Beijing, he imposed tariffs on Chinese goods.

The Trump administration in 2019 authorized a CIA clandestine operation to sow public opposition to the Chinese government on overseas social media, Reuters reported in March of this year.

President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have dramatically retreated, saying repeatedly that the United States will not seek to undermine China’s communist system, a key demand by Beijing if Washington wants better bilateral relations.

During a recent interview on X, Trump repeated criticisms of China’s role in the Covid pandemic but said he hopes to have a good relationship with Xi. He also said the expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal is part of a dangerous trend.

Trump said in a campaign speech that Xi wrote him “a beautiful note” after Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt on July 13.

The private intelligence group Recorded Future said in a recent threat analysis that China is continuing high-volume, low-impact influence and cyber operations aimed at the November election, Gertz reported for the Washington Times.

“China will very likely conduct malign influence seeking to shape the U.S. 2024 elections,” said the report, noting that its efforts to take over Taiwan are a key factor.

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