Vice President Mike Pence left his audience stunned during a speech to the Hudson Institute Thursday morning accusing the Chinese government of an “unprecedented effort” to undermine American democracy by operating “front groups” and propaganda outlets.
“China has initiated an unprecedented effort to influence American public opinion, the 2018 elections, and the environment leading into the 2020 presidential elections,” Pence told the audience of mostly scholars, echoing claims made by President Donald Trump at the United Nations a week ago implying that China, in addition to Russia, was involved in efforts to undermine American elections.
“Beijing has mobilized covert actors, front groups, and propaganda outlets to shift Americans’ perception of Chinese policies,” Pence added. The vice president said a senior American intelligence official told him “what the Russians are doing pales in comparison to what China is doing across this country.”
Pence pointed directly to news coming out about a burgeoning “trade war” between the United States and China. President Trump has proposed increased tariffs on Chinese goods — costing China perhaps billions in lost trade — in an effort to “equalize” trade between the two nations and reduce what Trump calls an untenable trade deficit.
“Our intelligence community says that ‘China is targeting U.S. state and local governments and officials to exploit any divisions between federal and local levels on policy’,” Pence said. “It’s using wedge issues, like trade tariffs, to advance Beijing’s political influence.”
“To put it bluntly, President Trump’s leadership is working; China wants a different American President,” Pence added.
Pence’s speech comes amid rumors that the U.S. military is proposing a “major show of force” near China’s territorial waters in November — “several missions” over the course of a week to demonstrate American naval and air superiority within striking distance of mainland China.
The Trump administration is walking a fine line with China; they need the world power’s support to enforce anti-nuclear proliferation agreements made with with North Korea, but they also need to talk a tough game on trade and defense. Pence’s speech marks a more aggressive line on China than the Trump administration has held previously, perhaps bolstered by Trump’s recent success with rewriting NAFTA.