'Beware China': Mike Pompeo warns countries in Europe, Central Asia

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned each of the countries he visited on his five-nation tour to be wary of China's growing global influence and not to fall under it. The comments came days after Washington and Beijing secured a trade deal following months of tensions between the two superpowers. Pompeo said that Trump administration would continue to confront China despite Washington seeking the second phase of trade deal.

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Pompeo's comments on China

According to media reports, Pompeo started his tour by visiting longtime ally the United Kingdom, followed by the former Soviet republics in Central Asia. Pompeo while in Europe and Central Asia denounced China's human rights record, criticised Beijing's aggressive trade practices and urged his hosts to be wary of Chinese investment and influence, international press reported. He added that China is known for asserting its influence through investing in many middle and low-income countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

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Pompeo during his visit to London said that China poses a risk to countries developing next-generation, high-speed wireless networks. Pompeo's comment came days after the United Kingdom ignored the warning of its American allies and announced that it would allow the Chinese tech giant Huawei to participate in the roll-out of 5G networks in the country. The Trump administration had asked its allies to block Huawei from their 5G networks on national security grounds. 

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Pompeo's latest comments on China are a contrast to President Donald Trump's more conciliatory language for Beijing. As per media reports, President Trump's recent soft approach towards China is because he is trying to complete the trade deal with President Xi Jinping. The United States and China signed their first trade deal on January 15 after a two-year-long brutal trade war between the top two largest exporters in the world.  

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(With Agency Inputs)