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2021.03.17 12:30 GMT+8

Top U.S. intelligence agency says China didn't interfere with U.S. election

Updated 2021.03.17 14:03 GMT+8
CGTN

The top U.S. intelligence agency released a report on Monday claiming that China did not attempt to influence the U.S. 2020 election.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said it assessed that "China did not deploy interference efforts" to change the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and it has "high confidence in this judgment."

"China sought stability in its relationship with the United States, did not view either election outcome as being advantageous enough for China to risk getting caught meddling, and assessed its traditional influence tools – primarily targeted economic measures and lobbying – would be sufficient to meet its goal of shaping U.S.'s China policy regardless of the winner," it said. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump said last April that Beijing "will do anything they can" to undermine his re-election chances. 

Trump's then National Security Adviser Robert O' Brien said in August that the Chinese government was engaged in cyber attacks on the U.S. election infrastructure. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry has said on many occasions that China has always adhered to the non-interference principle and has no interest and has never interfered in the U.S. election.  

Read more:

China has no interest in meddling in U.S. election

The international community knows clearly who is interfering in the internal affairs of other countries, said spokesperson Wang Wenbin in September, urging the U.S. to stop meddling in China's internal affairs and stop groundless accusations and smears against China.  

The 15-page report blamed Russia and Iran for state-sponsored interference in the presidential race.

"Broad Russian and Iranian campaigns targeting multiple critical infrastructure sectors did compromise the security of several networks that managed some election functions," said the report.

"But they did not materially affect the integrity of voter data, the ability to vote, the tabulation of votes, or the timely transmission of election results."

Tehran and Moscow have previously denied any involvement in attempting to influence U.S. elections.

(Cover: A voter fills out her ballot during early voting at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., October 30, 2020. /Reuters)

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