China accuses Mike Pompeo of 'maliciously' creating political confrontation

China said on October 7 that the United States should stop "unprovoked" accusations and attacks on the country after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Beijing of creating political tensions in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and at the Himalayan border with India. The Chinese embassy in Japan on Wednesday accused Pompeo of repeatedly fabricating lies about China and "maliciously creating political confrontation", saying his attempts are unpopular and will not succeed. 

Pompeo during an exclusive interview with Japanese media said that the world has long faced threats from China and blamed it for issues such as cybersecurity, tensions in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and also the Sino-Indian border stand-off. The Chinese embassy further urged the United States to abandon the Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice, and treat its relations with China in a constructive manner.

Read: Quad Group To Deepen Cooperation To Promote Inclusive And Open Indo-Pacific: Aus FM

The spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Japan said, "China has always maintained that any multilateral cooperation should uphold the spirit of openness, tolerance, and transparency, instead of engaging in closed and exclusive small circles", referring to the Quad meeting held between the US, India, Japan, and Australia, following which Pompeo made the remark. 

Read: EAM S Jaishankar Meets Australian Counterpart Marise Payne On QUAD 2020 Sidelines

Quad meeting

The Quad meeting came amid the heightened tensions between the United States and China. The grouping is counter to China's growing military ambitions in the Indo-pacific region. The skirmishes with India at the Himalayan border, the dispute with Japan in the East China Sea over the Senkaku islands, and souring relations between Beijing and Canberra also make this Quad meeting an important development for all the countries involved. 

Read: Quad 2020: EAM Jaishankar Holds India-Japan Strategic Dialogue With Japanese Counterpart

Pompeo on Sunday took-off from the United States for his two-day trip to East Asia, where after landing he met with the foreign ministers of Japan, India, and Australia for discussing issues of mutual concerns under the Quad grouping. Pompeo also met with the new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and discussed US-Japan allies with him after meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi earlier in the day. 

Read: QUAD 2020: Pompeo Meets EAM Jaishankar; Says 'advancing US-India Relations' Together