Pompeo wraps up anti-China tour of Asia in Vietnam

U,S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is wrapping up an anti-China tour of Asia in Vietnam as fierce American presidential election race enters its final stretch. With just four days left in campaign in which China has been a central me, Pompeo was visiting Hai on Friday ostensibly to celebrate 25 years of U.S.-Vietnam relations. But as he has at his previous stops in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia, Pompeo is expected to highlight Trump ministration’s antipathy toward China, its handling of coronavirus pandemic, its human rights record and aggressiveness towards its smaller neighbors.

Those issues, particularly Chinese origin of virus, have been highlighted by President Donald Trump as he seeks to beat back a stiff reelection challenge from former Vice President Joe Biden in v. 3 polls. Trump has sought to paint Biden as weak on China and beholden to it, repeatedly raising questions about alleged connections between Biden's son, Hunter, and Chinese businesses.

Vietnam was a late dition to Pompeo’s itinerary and has numerous concerns about Chinese policies in region. Those range from Beijing's territorial and maritime claims in South China Sea to its development activities along Mekong River, which runs through much of mainland Souast Asia and is a regional lifeline.

In a statement released ahe of Pompeo's arrival in Vietnam, State Department attacked China for reneging on cooperation pledges with or Mekong countries and for aggressively pursuing suspect claims in South China Sea. China's “malign and destabilizing actions in Mekong region, including manipulation of Mekong river water flows, negatively affect millions of people who depend on river for ir livelihoods," it said.

“ United States stands with our Indo-Pacific allies and partners in protecting ir sovereign rights to offshore resources in South China Sea, consistent with ir rights and obligations under international law,” it said. It ted that earlier this year, Pompeo h rejected outright nearly all of Beijing’s maritime claims in South China Sea.

“ United States rejects (China's) maritime claims to waters surrounding Vanguard Bank off Vietnam’s coast," statement said, "We will oppose any efforts aimed at undermining rules-based maritime order in South China Sea or elsewhere.”

China has pressed ahe with attempts to enforce its claims to much of South China Sea and has igred an arbitration ruling won by Philippines that invalidated China's claims. Pompeo arrived in Vietnam from Indonesia, where he praised Indonesian leership in Association of Souast Asian Nations for pushing back on what he called China’s “unlawful” South China Sea claims and deunced Beijing for its treatment of religious mirities, calling it “ gravest threat to future of religious freedom.”

Pompeo h traveled to Indonesia from Maldives, Sri Lanka and India on stops where he steily ratcheted up pressure on China, which has rejected U.S. concerns and accused him and ors in Trump ministration of fanning flames of a new Cold War.

In Maldives, Pompeo anunced United States would for first time open an embassy in Indian Ocean archipelago, a move that reflects growing U.S. concern about increasing Chinese influence and what he he called “its lawless and threatening behavior” in Indo-Pacific region.

Just hours earlier in Sri Lanka, Pompeo h accusing China of being a ”predator” in smaller countries by exploiting m with loans and development projects intended to benefit Chinese more than intended recipients. At his first stop of tour in India, Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper h stepped up ministration’s anti-China mess by playing on Indian suspicions about Chinese to shore up a regional front against Beijing in Indo-Pacific.

Just hours before meetings in New Delhi began, Trump ministration tified Congress of plans for a $2.37 billion sale of Harpoon missile systems to Taiwan — second major arms sale in two weeks to democratic island that Beijing regards as a renege province. China angrily reacted by anuncing sanctions on U.S. defense contractors. 

(Im Credits: AP)