China rebuffs Trump's claim of Beijing interference in 2020 US election as 'malicious slander'

China pushed back Friday against US President Donald Trump's claim that Beijing interfered in the 2020 US presidential election, calling the allegation "malicious slander."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, speaking at a regular briefing on Friday, said the US remarks were "pure fabrication, malicious slander and have long been proven to be absurd."

He went on to say that "China has consistently upheld the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and has neither interest in nor has ever interfered in US presidential elections."

Lin went further, saying the international community had clearly witnessed "who repeatedly interferes in other countries' internal affairs, who has long conducted indiscriminate surveillance of governments, companies and ordinary people around the world, and who has stolen other countries' citizens' data on a massive scale."

He urged the United States to "reflect on itself and stop groundlessly smearing China," adding that Washington should "stop using China as a scapegoat in elections and do more things that are beneficial to China-US relations."

When asked whether Trump's remarks could affect a planned US visit by President Xi Jinping, Lin did not answer directly, instead repeating his call for the United States to "stop using China as a scapegoat in elections and do more things that are beneficial to China-US relations."

Trump said in a public address on Thursday (local time) that evidence had emerged showing China attempted to interfere in the 2020 US presidential election and influence its outcome.

Trump released materials his administration said it had gathered and analyzed to support the claim. Some US media outlets said the presentation amounted to a rehash of previously raised conspiracy theories without clear evidence.