DHS Highlights How Beijing Exploits Pandemic, Influences US Election for Its Goals

People stand in line outside the Richland County Voter Registration & Elections Office on the second day of in-person absentee and early voting in Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 6, 2020. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

The Chinese regime has leveraged the pandemic crisis to boost its interests while carrying out its influence operations ahead of the U.S. elections, the latest report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) found.

In its first-ever report on security threats to the United States, released on Oct. 6, the DHS identified Beijing as a state actor that posed a “significant threat.” Among a list of concerns from China were disinformation campaigns, diplomatic pressure, and counterfeit medical products exported to the United States.

Reshaping Narratives

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, the Chinese regime will likely continue disinformation campaigns to “denigrate” the U.S. administration in an effort to reshape the U.S. narrative to its favor, the report said. State-directed cyber actors from China, Russia, and Iran could also undermine infrastructure related to the election and sow distrust among voters.