Pence Casts China as Republican Campaign Foe in Harsh Speech

Vice President Mike Pence laid out allegations of Chinese election interference in a harshly worded speech Thursday, signaling a firmer U.S. pushback against Beijing as trade anxiety weighs on the looming midterm congressional elections.

Pence accused China of “a whole-of-government approach” to sway American public opinion, including spies, tariffs, coercive measures and a propaganda campaign. The speech at the Hudson Institute in Washington represented some of the most critical remarks about China by such a high-ranking U.S. official in recent memory.