Pompeo ramps up criticism of China over virus
US Secretary of State in call for ‘grand coalition’
US SECRETARY of State Mike Pompeo deepened a breakdown of relations between China and the West yesterday as he accused China of exploiting the coronavirus crisis for its own gains.
After holding talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Mr Pompeo called for the UK and countries around the world to form a coalition aimed at persuading China to change course.
Mr Pompeo welcomed steps taken by the UK – including a ban on Huawei’s involvement in 5G networks and the suspension of an extradition treaty with Hong Kong – but he said countries needed to work together to increase pressure on Beijing.
He said China had exploited the coronavirus pandemic to “further its own interests”, and added “we have seen Hong Kong’s freedoms crushed” and “watched the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) bully its neighbours”.
“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the British Government for its principled response to these challenges,” he said. “We support those sovereign choices, we think ‘well done’.”
But he indicated that more was needed from allies including the UK to respond to the increasingly assertive China under Xi Jinping.
“We think that the entire world
needs to work together to ensure that every country – including China – behaves in the international system in ways that are appropriate and consistent with the international order.
“You can’t go make claims for maritime regions that you have no lawful claim to. You can’t threaten countries and bully them in the Himalayas. You can’t engage in cover-ups and co-opt international institutions like the World Health Organisation.”
Mr Pompeo also highlighted the Chinese government directing state-owned firms to “steal” intellectual property from US firms.
“We want every nation to work together to push back against the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts in every dimension that I have described,” he said.
“That certainly includes the United Kingdom, it includes every country.
“We hope we can build out a coalition that understands the threat and we’ll work collectively to convince the Chinese Communist Party it’s not in their best interests
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on the meeting with Mike Pompeo to engage in this kind of behaviour.”
Mr Pompeo held talks with senior backbench Tories including leading China hawk Sir Iain Duncan Smith before his meetings with Ministers. But Mr Raab insisted that the UK Government would not be pushed into a tougher position by Washington.
“I don’t think there is any question of strong-arming – Mike and I always have constructive discussions,” he said at a press conference alongside his US counterpart. But he did not push back against Mr Pompeo’s accusation that China had exploited the coronavirus pandemic.
China has warned that Britain will “bear the consequences” of its actions over Hong Kong. A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in London said in a statement that Beijing had expressed its concerns over the UK interfering in Hong Kong matters “which are internal affairs of China”.
I don’t think there is any question of strongarming