At Munich Security Conference, US asks Europe to oppose China’s wrong policies

Munich: ‘Under President Xi’s rule, the Chinese Communist Party is heading even faster and further in the wrong direction. More internal repression; more predatory economic practices; more heavy-handedness; and, most concerning for me, a more aggressive military posture. It is essential that we, as an international community, wake up to the challenges presented by China’s manipulation of the long-standing international rules-based order,’ said US Secretary for Defence Mark Esper as he warned the European countries to distance themselves from the Chinese policies and assistance.

Munich Security Conference, security meeting, President Xi, Chinese policies, criticism, US, Europe, Hong Kong

An international security meeting is underway in the German city of Munich and leaders, officials as also experts from countries around the globe are participating in it. US Secretary for Defence Mark Esper, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and senior senator Lindsey Graham are representing the United States at the conference. All these leaders presented the anti-China stand aggressively in their addresses at the Munich Security Conference. Of these, Esper and Pompeo’s statements were significant.

Pompeo compared China to Russia and Iran with a warning that the perceived threat from China to the United States and European countries was equivalent to the one the other two countries posed. Pompeo stated five areas concerning China and advised the European countries to exhibit caution on the matters. These include tech giant Huawei, China’s maritime ambitions, attempts to silence Taiwan and Hong Kong, efforts to influence the US and European politics and its increasing presence in the Arctic.

For the past three years, President Trump has consistently pursued an aggressive stance against China. The trade war the US initiated against China, decisions on Taiwan, initiative to form fronts with other countries against China, orders to stop the Chinese companies, clearly show the intensity of Trump’s anti-China sentiment. Apart from the US President, other US leaders are reiterating his policies while Secretary of State Pompeo is leading the pack.

Over the last six months, Pompeo has consistently targeted the growing competition from China and the challenges it posed, in various programs in the United States as well as during foreign visits and international conferences. Pompeo indicated that there would be no deviation from the policy by presenting their anti-China stand aggressively at the Munich Security Conference. However, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi responded to the criticism the US leaders launched at the country.

The Chinese Foreign Minister retorted saying that the senior US leaders have fired salvos of criticism and keep harping on the same issues wherever they go. At the same time, Wang Yi claimed that the statements of the US leaders were untrue.

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