WASHINGTON, July 17: The US Democrats, who had initially questioned Republican allegations of China's bid to illegally influence the last US elections, have said that they now believe their colleagues, but were not sure if Beijing's plan was actually put into effect.

``I conclude there was, in fact, a Chinese government plan to move money into the Congressional elections last year,'' Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman told reporters on Wednesday.

Later, Lieberman and Senator John Glenn, the senior Democrat in the Governmental Affairs Committee investigating illegal campaign finances, said in a joint statement that ``the information shown to us strongly suggests the existence of a plan by the Chinese government -- containing components that are both legal and illegal -- designed to influence US Congressional elections.''

Committee Chairman Fred Thompson had said he had cleared with FBI Director Louis Freeh and acting CIA Director George Tenet, that the Chinese had a plan intended to ``subvert our election process.''

Lieberman, who had initially questioned Thompson's claims, later requested an FBI briefing which was held on Monday. ``I understood why Senator Thompson made the statement he did. What is clear to me is there was a plan'' to influence the Bill Clinton-Bob Dole fight, he said later. The information from the intercepts included discussions of a plan to direct Chinese funds into US campaigns.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.