Meddling allegations dismissed

Beijing stresses noninterference stance in response to Trump claim

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi rejected on Wednesday "groundless" US accusations against China of meddling in United States elections, saying China did not and will not interfere in any country's domestic affairs.

His remarks came after US President Donald Trump accused Beijing of undermining his party's prospects in upcoming elections during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

"China has always followed the principle of noninterference. We refuse to accept any unwarranted accusations against China," Wang said at the same meeting.

Wang also urged other countries to abide by the principles of the UN Charter and commit to noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Thursday that the international community is well aware of which country interferes most in other countries' internal affairs, and he asked Washington to stop the groundless accusations and slander.

During a regular media briefing in Beijing, Geng said noninterference is China's diplomatic tradition, and that has been universally recognized by the global community.

"We advise the US to stop wrongdoing that damages bilateral ties as well as the fundamental interests of its people," he said.

During the Security Council meeting, Trump said China has been attempting to interfere in the coming November elections against his administration because he is the first president to challenge China on trade.

Following the accusations, Trump tweeted that one example was an insert sponsored by China Daily in The Des Moines Register, a newspaper in the US state of Iowa.

Geng, the spokesman, said on Thursday that it is far-fetched and sheer fiction to describe normal cooperation between Chinese and US media as the Chinese government's attempt to meddle in US elections.

"According to US laws, foreign media can carry out various kinds of cooperation with US media," he said, noting that the Chinese newspaper's reports via paid pages of the US local newspaper fall within the scope of this type of practice.

Li Haidong, a US studies researcher at China Foreign Affairs University, said Washington's foreign policy toward China is regressing in various areas including trade and security.

"Faced with the current tension, Washington is not thinking about how to cooperate. Instead, it is taking a confrontational and hostile policy," Li said.