BEIJING (AFP) — Beijing accused United States President Donald Trump of making “fabrications” on Friday, after he said China had meddled in US election data, reviving his long-standing baseless claims of voter fraud ahead of midterm polls many expect him to dispute.

Trump said in a White House address on Thursday that the US electoral system had been dangerously exposed and urged lawmakers to adopt new restrictions on voting, despite scant appetite for the measures even within his Republican Party.

The US president also said he would declassify intelligence that purportedly shows that China had illicitly acquired 220 million voter files.

“The relevant claims made by the US side are pure fabrications and malicious smears that have long since been proven to be groundless statements,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a news conference when asked about Trump’s latest claims.

“China has... no interest in the US election and has never interfered in it,” Lin said.

“The international community sees very clearly who it is that habitually interferes in the internal affairs of other countries.”

“We urge the US side to reflect on its own actions, stop baselessly smearing China, refrain from making an issue of China in its elections, and do more to benefit China-US relations,” he added.