US Presidential Election Approaching, Disputes Over China and Russia Election Interference

White House Warns China, Democrats Alert Russia
Wall Street Sees Growing Support for Biden

U.S. President Donald Trump is disembarking from his private helicopter to attend a fundraising event held at Long Branch Beach in New Jersey on the 9th. President Trump is reported to have raised $5 million at the event.
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Ahead of the presidential election this November, the U.S. White House has publicly expressed concerns about possible election interference by China and Russia. In particular, it clearly stated its intention to continuously pressure China during the election campaign by mentioning that China, with which it is in conflict on all fronts including trade, "has been involved in attacks on our election infrastructure."

Robert O'Brien, U.S. National Security Council (NSC) Advisor, appeared on CBS's "Face the Nation" on the 9th (local time) and said, "We will not allow foreign countries to decide who will be the next president between Donald Trump and Joe Biden," calling it "outrageous." He added, "Whether it is China, Russia, or Iran, we will not tolerate it. Any country attempting to interfere in the election will face serious consequences."

Although O'Brien's remarks referred to both China and Russia, local assessments suggest that the warning was more heavily directed at China. Regarding China, O'Brien stated, "The (Trump) president wants to see (the election) lost," and "China, like Russia and Iran, has been involved in cyberattacks or phishing targeting our election infrastructure, such as websites."

On the other hand, about Russia, he said, "There are no more sanctions to impose (to prevent Russian election interference). We continue to send the message to Russia not to interfere in the election." This shows a stronger rejection of China than Russia, which is suspected of interfering in the 2016 election to help President Trump's victory.

When asked by the host whether President Trump had demanded Russian President Vladimir Putin not to interfere in the election during their phone call, O'Brien failed to give a clear answer. He only said, "The president does not interfere with calls between heads of other countries."

O'Brien's remarks seem related to the statement released by the U.S. intelligence agency, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC). On the same day, the NCSC announced that China hopes for President Trump's reelection failure, while Russia is trying to discredit Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden. China, which is trying to undermine Trump's reelection, is naturally more concerning.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has heightened its vigilance against Russian election interference. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appeared consecutively on CNN and Fox News on the same day, claiming, "Russia is monitoring the U.S. election system 24 hours a day." Pelosi criticized, "Russia is doing now what it did in 2016. The U.S. president should be decided by the American people. Putin should not make that decision for us."

Pelosi expressed a negative stance on the possibility of Chinese election interference. She argued, "The interference by Russia and China cannot be the same." Seemingly acknowledging the U.S. intelligence agencies' mention that China prefers Biden, Pelosi emphasized, "China may prefer Biden, but it is not interfering in the U.S. presidential election."

Meanwhile, inside the U.S., former Vice President Biden's post-election fundraising is a hot topic. The New York Times (NYT) reported that despite Biden's tax increase policies, major Wall Street donors are contributing to Biden. In particular, Seth Klarman, founder of the hedge fund Baupost and a former Republican donor, donated $3 million to Biden's side. The NYT assessed that Wall Street heavyweights believe that despite Biden's tax hike promises, political stability would improve the business environment.