Published 11:00 IST, July 22nd 2020
Pompeo says US wants global coalition to counter threat from Chinese Communist Party
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said on July 21 that the United States wants a global coalition to counter the threat of Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said on July 21 that the United States wants a global coalition to counter the threat of Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Addressing a joint press briefing along with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Pompeo said that the coalition will work collectively to convince the CCP to not engage in intellectual property theft, bullying neighbours, and co-opting international institutions.
The top US diplomat told reporters that the entire world needs to work together to ensure that every country behaves in ways that are appropriate and consistent with the international order. He said that the United States wants to see every nation, who values freedom and democracy, to understand the threat posed by the CCP and collectively work to restore what it “rightfully ours”.
“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 Organization,” said Pompeo.
'Deadly confrontation with India'
US State Secretary said that he discussed the challenge presented by the CCP and the coronavirus with the UK Foreign Secretary during a meeting in London. He lambasted China’s “exploitation of this disaster to further its own interests” and said that the Chinese President Xi Jinping has shown the world the CCP’s true face.
“We talked about how we’ve seen Hong Kong’s freedoms crushed. We’ve watched the CCP bully its neighbours, militarize features in the South China Sea, and instigate a deadly confrontation with India,” said Pompeo, highlighting the ongoing Sino-India border conflict.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on July 21 that he plans to visit China amid heightened tensions over the South China Sea dispute and coronavirus pandemic. Discussing the US vision for security in the Indo–Pacific region at a security seminar, the Defense Secretary accused the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of continuing to engage in systemic rule-breaking, coercion and other malign activities.
“CCP has bullied ASEAN nations out of an estimated $2.6 trillion in potential offshore oil and gas revenue and denied them access to important fishing grounds,” he said.
(Image credit: AP)
Updated 11:00 IST, July 22nd 2020