China’s land claims to Bhutan and the recent incursion into Indian land indicate their intentions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday, adding that Beijing under Preisdent Xi Jinping was trying to find out if other countries would backtrack. .
Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter standoff in several areas along the line of effective control in eastern Ladakh since May 5. The situation deteriorated last month following clashes in the Galwan Valley which left 20 Indian army dead.
China recently claimed the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan to the Board of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and opposed funding for the project.
“I think the actions are quite consistent with what they’ve been signaling to the world for decades, you might even argue since 1989, but certainly since Secretary-General Xi (Jinping) came to power,” Pompeo said. to members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee at a Congressional Hearing on Thursday.
The secretary of state said China wants to expand its power and reach.
“They talk about bringing socialism to the world with Chinese characteristics. The claims that they have now made for real estate in Bhutan, the foray that has taken place in India, are indicative of Chinese intentions, and they are testing, they are testing. are polling the world, to see if we will resist their threats and bullying, ”Pompeo said.
“I am more confident that it is still a year ago that the world was ready to do this. There is a lot more work to be done, and we need to be serious about it,” said the senior American diplomat.
In his testimony, Pompeo told lawmakers that India had banned 106 Chinese apps that threatened the privacy and security of its citizens.
“Our diplomatic efforts are working and momentum is building to mitigate the threats that the Chinese Communist Party presents. The 10 ASEAN countries insisted that South China Sea disputes be settled on the basis of international law, including the United Nations Convention on Japan led the G-7 condemnation of the law China on national security targeting Hong Kong, “he said.
The European Union also condemned the law and also declared China as a systemic rival for us, he said.
At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Secretary General Stoltenberg called for making China more of the focus of this alliance.
We have led a multilateral effort to get the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization to elect a director from an intellectual property-conscious country, the secretary of state said.
“Our QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) – the United States, Australia, India and Japan – has been invigorated. We have worked hard on it. Our diplomats have done a tremendous job. I am very proud of the progress that we In addition to these multilateral efforts, the Ministry of Justice is cracking down on Chinese intellectual property threats, ”he said.
The United States has sanctioned Chinese leaders for their treatment of Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang province, imposed export controls on the companies that supported them, and warned American companies against using labor. slave labor in their supply chains, he said.
The United States ended the special treatment agreements with Hong Kong in response to the CCP’s actions to deny freedom to the people of Hong Kong. “We closed our consulate in Houston because it was a den of spies,” he said.