Pompeo Slams China Amid Pandemic, Urges All Nations To Unite Against Beijing

In his visit Tuesday to the United Kingdom, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged all nations to unite against the Chinese Communist Party and criticized Beijing for its role in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“We of course began with the challenge presented by the Chinese Communist Party and the COVID-19 virus that originated in Wuhan, China,” Pompeo said during a meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.“The CCP’s exploitation of this disaster to further its own interests has been disgraceful. Rather than helping the world, General Secretary Xi has shown the world the party’s true face.”

Pompeo claimed that Bejing was trying to “crush freedoms” in Hong Kong due to the recent implementation of a new national security law. He also alleged that China is trying to “bully its neighbors” in Asia.

Pompeo’s comments come after the U.K. banned Chinese telecom firm Huawei from its 5G networks. The Trump administration believes that Huawei could use next-gen networks to spy on intelligence agencies, handing over confidential information to the CCP.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had originally greenlit Huawei’s participation in the country’s 5G network in January, drawing indignation from Washington. President Donald Trump chided Johnson for the move in an “apoplectic” phone call between the two leaders in February.

Downing Street is increasingly taking a tougher line on Beijing. Following the implementation of the Hong Kong security law, the U.K. suspended an extradition treaty with Hong Kong and halted arms exports to the territory.

China’s Ambassador to the U.K, Liu Xioming, criticized British foreign policy Sunday in a BBC interview.

"I think the UK needs its own foreign policy, rather than to dance to the tune of the Americans - like what happened to Huawei." Liu said. He asserted that Huawei does not pose a security risk to the U.K., and said Beijing will respond to the U.K.’s “bad decision.”