China accuses US of bullying smaller countries to pick sides; slams 'cold war mentality'

China on October 23 accused the United States of bullying small and medium-sized countries into picking sides. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Friday, while taking a jibe at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said that the United States officials are filled with "Cold War mentality" and "hegemonistic mindset", adding that it exposes the consistent practice of Washington of arbitrarily interfering in other countries' domestic and foreign affairs. 

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Zhao Lijian was answering a question on US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Dean Thompson's statement on October 22, where he had said that Mike Pompeo during his visit to Sri Lanka next week will urge the island nation to review the options that China offer for transparent and sustainable economic development in contrast to discriminatory and opaque practices. Lijian said that all countries, regardless of size, have the right to independently develop foreign relations based on their own interests before accusing the US of forcing small and medium-sized countries to choose sides. 

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"Attempts to prevent countries from carrying out normal exchanges and cooperation through pressure and coercion will not succeed and will end up being rejected by history and becoming a laughing stock of the international community," Zhao Lijian said on Friday during a regular press briefing of China's foreign ministry.  

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Tension rising between US and China

China has repeatedly accused the United States of living with the Cold War mentality and bullying other countries into taking sides in the ongoing trade war between both nations. Relations between Washington and Beijing have soured ever since US President Donald Trump was elected, but the ties deteriorate even more when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States earlier this year. The disease that originated from China, has killed over 2,00,000 American citizens to date and has infected at least 8 million people, more than anywhere else in the world. 

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is currently travelling the world and forging deeper alliances to counter the growing threat from China. Earlier this month, Pompeo held meetings with ministers of QUAD countries in Tokyo, Japan and discussed strengthening of coordination in the Indo-Pacific to keep the region free from Chinese aggression.  

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