Beijing ‘has no intention of interfering’ in US elections – spokesman

China said on Thursday it has no intention of interfering in the US elections. According to US President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton, Trump had sought Chinese President Xi Jinping’s help to win re-election. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the statement when asked about Bolton’s accusation, made in an excerpt from his book.

Zhao also said on Thursday that the Group of Seven nations should stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs, responding to a joint statement issued by G7 foreign ministers. They had called for a halt to the national security legislation planned for Hong Kong.

Separately, a bipartisan group of US senators unveiled legislation on Thursday aimed at protecting research and innovation on US campuses and at preventing theft of intellectual property.

Last month, Reuters quoted sources as saying that the US is planning to cancel the visas of thousands of Chinese graduate students “believed by Trump’s administration to have links with China’s military.”