The present study investigates the modulation of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) in the impacts of El Niño on the wintertime rainfall anomalies in southeastern China. Here, the variability of the EAWM that is independent of ENSO is considered, which is referred to as EAWMres with a strong EAWMres denoting anomalous northerly winds. Results demonstrate that strong (weak) EAWMres weakens (enhances) the positive rainfall anomalies in southeastern China induced by El Niño, because anomalous downward motion over the western North Pacific (WNP) associated with El Niño is weakened (strengthened) by strong (weak) EAWMres. The modulated convective activity over the WNP, on the one hand, changes the anomalous local Hadley circulation associated with El Niño. When El Niño is combined with strong (weak) EAWMres, anomalous local Hadley circulation is weak (strong) and the resultant anomalous upward motion is weak (strong) over southeastern China, leading to small (larger) positive rainfall anomalies there. On the other hand, the modulated WNP convective activity induces different low-level atmospheric responses to El Niño. During an El Niño winter with strong (weak) EAWMres, the weak (strong) anomalous suppressed convection produces a weak (strong) and insignificant (significant) anomalous low-level WNP anticyclone, resulting in correspondingly insignificant (significant) rainfall anomalies in southeastern China. Results from a linear baroclinic model further suggest that the different low-level atmospheric responses over WNP are mainly induced by different diabatic heating associated with El Niño under different EAWMres conditions.