Commenting on reports that Russia was behind bomb threats targeting multiple Democratic-leaning districts in U.S. swing states on the day of the U.S. Presidential Election, Chinese President Xi Jinping criticised Russian President Vladimir Putin for his “brash and rowdy, cowboy-style interference in foreign elections” during a press conference in Beijing on Friday, 15 November 2024.

He went on to claim that Putin’s approach to meddling in foreign elections appeared to be inspired by Al Pacino’s portrayal of Tony Montana in the cult-classic American film Scarface.

Xi expressed concern that Putin’s bombastic style of election interference had drawn excessive global attention and thereby threatened the long-term viability of the practice.

“A sustainable approach to interference in foreign elections requires a patient and insidious effort that delivers incremental gains over an extended period of time. Its success depends on its subtlety,” Xi added.

Xi had also criticised Putin a few months earlier, following the United States Department of Justice’s revelation that Russia had interfered in the 2024 Presidential Election through a $10 million investment in American social media influencers recruited to spread disinformation.

“Russia’s irresponsible overpayments to traitorous U.S. influencers have significantly contributed to rising global inflation and the unsustainable increase in the going rate for treason,” Xi had said at the time, further accusing Putin of displaying amateurish recklessness.