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Chinese interference in the 2024 United States elections

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2024 U.S. presidential election
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China has interfered in the 2024 United States elections through propaganda and disinformation campaigns linked to its Spamouflage operation.[1] The efforts come amidst larger foreign interference in the 2024 United States elections.

Background

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In March 2021, the National Intelligence Council released a report that found China "considered but did not deploy" influence efforts in 2020.[2] A declassified U.S. intelligence assessment in 2023 found with "high confidence" that China, Russia, Iran and Cuba attempted to influence the 2022 midterms. It found that China had tacitly approved "efforts to try to influence a handful of midterm races involving members of both US political parties" and "portray the US democratic model as chaotic, ineffective, and unrepresentative". The U.S. intelligence report found that China had used images generated by artificial intelligence to mimic Americans online and provoke discussion on divisive social issues, and that they believed they would face less scrutiny during the midterms and that U.S. retaliation would be lower.[3] Since 2020, senior Chinese intelligence officials had issued directives to "intensify efforts to influence US policy and public opinion in China's favor" and "magnify US societal divisions".[4] In January 2024, the FBI and Justice Department issued a court order to address Chinese hacking and infiltration of key U.S. infrastructure in the transportation and maritime sectors.[5]

During APEC United States 2023, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in a separate summit on November 15 where Xi told Biden China would not interfere in the 2024 presidential election after being asked by Biden. This assurance was given again by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to Biden's national security advisor Jake Sullivan on the weekend of January 26-27 during a meeting in Bangkok after Sullivan brought up the topic. CNN reported in January 2024 that the topic had repeatedly come up during senior-level meetings between the two nations. The meetings came following a historic low in Sino-American relations after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the U.S. military after traversing the continental United States in February 2023.[4]

Analysis

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U.S. intelligence agencies have described Chinese interference as being more aggressive by September but overall cautious and nuanced, not targeting any particular candidate, but focusing on issues important to Beijing such as Taiwan, and "undermining confidence in elections, voting, and the U.S. in general."[1][6] However, China has specifically denigrated President Biden using fake accounts.[7] According to The Washington Post, a senior official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said China is "not attempting to influence the presidential race, but it is seeking to do so in state-level and regional races" as they did during the 2022 midterms.[8]

Efforts to interfere in the 2024 United States elections

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As early as April 1, 2024, The New York Times reported that the Chinese government had created fake pro-Trump accounts on social media "promoting conspiracy theories, stoking domestic divisions and attacking President Biden ahead of the election in November."[7] On April 26, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed the U.S. has seen evidence of attempts to “influence and arguably interfere” with the upcoming U.S. elections, despite an earlier commitment from leader Xi Jinping not to do so.[9][10] On June 4, President Biden said in an interview that there was evidence of China interfering in the 2024 elections, and that "all the bad guys are rooting for Trump".[11] Chinese interference has been linked to its Spamouflage operation. Chinese influence operations have involved networks of fake social media users that mimic Americans on social media sites such as X and TikTok in an attempt to manipulate and sway public opinion. In a September 2024 interview with The Associated Press, chief intelligence officer Jack Stubbs of Graphika stated that Chinese covert influence operations had "become more aggressive" in their "efforts to infiltrate and to sway U.S. political conversations ahead of the election".[1][12] A threat report by Meta stated it detected 11 'coordinated inauthentic behavior' networks linked to China.[12] Microsoft detected attempts by Chinese actors to inflame tensions around campus protests, noting an increased capability to increase divisions and influence election activity.[12]

Reactions

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China

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In 2023, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied that China was interfering or had interfered in the 2022 election, stating that they "adhere to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs" and that "China does not interfere in US elections".[4] In response to a 2024 report by Graphika that outlined China's use of its Spamouflage network to mimic American social media users, Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu stated that the findings were "prejudice and malicious speculation" and that "China has no intention and will not interfere" in the election.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Klepper, David (September 3, 2024). "China-linked 'Spamouflage' network mimics Americans online to sway US political debate". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  2. ^ Samuels, Brett (June 4, 2024). "Biden on foreign election meddling: 'All the bad guys are rooting for Trump'". The Hill. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Bo Lillis, Katie (December 18, 2024). "China, Russia, Iran and Cuba all tried to meddle in 2022 US congressional elections, intelligence assessment finds". CNN. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Lyngaas, Sean; Lee, MJ (January 31, 2024). "Exclusive: Xi promised Biden China wouldn't interfere in 2024 election". CNN. Archived from the original on May 1, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  5. ^ Lyngaas, Sean; Perez, Evan (January 31, 2024). "FBI and Justice Department use court order to try to disrupt Chinese hacking targeting key US infrastructure". CNN. Archived from the original on February 8, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  6. ^ Lotz, Avery (September 3, 2024). "Chinese-linked online network is stoking U.S. political divisions: report". Axios. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Hsu, Tiffany; Myers, Steven Lee (April 1, 2024). "China's Advancing Efforts to Influence the U.S. Election Raise Alarms". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  8. ^ Nakashima, Ellen (September 7, 2024). "Russia's election influence efforts show sophistication, officials say". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on September 7, 2024. Retrieved September 7, 2024.
  9. ^ McCarthy, Simone (26 April 2024). "Blinken tells CNN the US has seen evidence of China attempting to influence upcoming US elections". CNN. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  10. ^ Borger, Julain (26 April 2024). "US has seen evidence of attempts by China to influence election, says Blinken". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  11. ^ Samuels, Brett (June 4, 2024). "Biden on foreign election meddling: 'All the bad guys are rooting for Trump'". The Hill. Archived from the original on August 27, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Morris-Grant, Brianna (2024-08-23). "Iranian, Russian and Chinese hackers are targeting the upcoming US election at an ever increasing pace". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-09-06.
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