‘Malicious’ Mike Pompeo slammed by China after he warns Latin America to be wary of Asian powerhouse
Chinese newspapers have slammed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after he told the media that “when China comes calling it’s not always to the good of your citizens” and warning of the hidden risks of Chinese investment.
Pompeo was meeting heads of state in Panama and Mexico. It was during last week’s Latin America tour that Pompeo lashed out at China, telling reporters in Mexico City that “when they [China] show up with deals that seem to be too good to be true it’s often the case that they, in fact, are.”
In Panama, Pompeo also said that China was engaging in “predatory economic activity” and that when dealing with Chinese investment, countries should have their “eyes wide open.”
State-run paper China Daily took a swipe back at the secretary of state, saying in an editorial on Monday that his comments were “ignorant and malicious.”
The editorial also stated criticism that China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative was creating debt traps in other countries is not true, but an indication of “their envy of the initial fruits the initiative has produced.”
The editorial also accused the US of trying to drive a wedge between Latin America and China.
Sparring between the two economic giants is the latest scrap in the ongoing US-Chinese trade war. The two countries have clashed after Trump introduced tariffs ranging from between 10 to 25 percent on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods entering the United States. In retaliation, the Chinese have implemented similar tariffs on US goods entering the nation.
China, which previously was America’s second-largest oil client, has also stopped buying crude from the US. Oil was not included on the list of bilateral tariffs between the feuding nations, but Chinese refiners have been staying away from buying crude from the US as trade tensions continue.
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