CHINA/MIKE PENCE/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday [10-3-18] accused China of trying to undermine President Donald Trump through a variety of tactics, including targeted tariffs on Trump supporters and well-placed propaganda meant to exploit ‘wedge issues’…Pence’s comments — sure to further inflame tensions between the two countries — fleshed out Trump’s vague assertion made last week to the United Nations General Assembly that ‘China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election.’ China has flatly rejected the accusation, calling the accusations ‘unwarranted’ and ‘slandering’ of China in a statement released Thursday night. On Thursday, Pence tried to bolster the allegation, although much of what he laid out has already been discussed publicly. He brought up a paid advertising insert that Chinese government-affiliated entities placed in The Des Moines Register, a leading paper in Iowa, ‘a pivotal state in 2018,’ Pence said.”
–Rebecca Morin, “Pence accuses China of trying to undermine Trump,” Politico, October 4, 2018 12:23 pm