USA TODAY International Edition
Pompeo talks trade, Taiwan with China
Secretary of state says US has ‘grave concerns’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tangled with his Chinese counterparts over trade, Taiwan and other contentious issues during a high-stakes stop Monday. With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at his side, Pompeo said the two countries had “fundamental disagreements” to discuss behind closed doors. “We have grave concerns about the actions that China has taken,” Pompeo said before reporters were escorted out of the Beijing meeting. “I look forward to having the opportunity to discuss each of those today because this is an incredibly important relationship.” Pompeo’s visit to China was the last stop on a four-country diplomatic tour that focused mostly on U.S. efforts to negotiate a denuclearization agreement with North Korea. In China, the agenda was much broader – including the Trump administration’s support for Taiwan, China’s territorial claims on the South China Sea and the two countries’ escalating battle over trade. The administration slapped tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods shipped into the USA. China retaliated with its own tariffs on U.S.-made goods. Vice President Mike Pence escalated the administration’s rhetoric last week in a speech that accused the Chinese government of meddling in American democracy and trying to undermine Trump’s presidency. Pence blasted China’s regional military aggression and efforts to expand its influence across Africa and elsewhere. Chinese officials denied Pence’s accusations of election meddling, calling it “malicious slander.” Wang appealed to Pompeo to cease actions that Beijing sees as threatening its interests; otherwise, they could disrupt cooperation over North Korea and other issues, according to the Associated Press. “While the U.S. side has constantly escalated trade frictions with China, it has also taken actions regarding Taiwan that harm China’s core interests,” Wang said. Pompeo met later with another top official in China’s ruling Communist Party, Yang Jiechi, who also expressed frustration with Washington. Yang told Pompeo that U.S.-Chinese relations are “facing challenges,” and the two countries should try to “meet each other halfway” to resolve their differences, the AP reported. The Trump administration needs China’s cooperation to make progress with North Korea on denuclearization. China has significant leverage over its communist ally – being able to squeeze or support the Kim regime economically. “There is the beginning of some talk that we are really moving toward a renewed cold war, this time between the U.S. and China,” Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert suggested Monday’s meetings were productive and candid. She said there was no friction over the effort to persuade Kim Jong Un to give up North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.