Washington:China’s territorial claims in Bhutan and the recent incursion into Indian land are indicative of their intentions, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday, adding that Beijing under Preisdent Xi Jinping was trying to find out whether other countries are going to push back.
He said that with its incursions into the territories of its neighbours, China is “testing the world” and “probing to see if we are going to stand up to their threats, to their bullying.”
“I think the actions are entirely consistent with what they have been signalling to the world for decades you might even argue since 1989 but certainly since General Secretary Xi (Jinping) came to power,” Pompeo told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee during a Congressional hearing on Thursday.
The secretary of state said China has the desire to expand its power and reach.
“They talk about bringing socialism with Chinese characteristics to the world. Claims that they have now made for real estate in Bhutan, the incursion that took place in India, these are indicative of Chinese intentions, and they are testing, they are probing the world to see if we are going to stand up to their threats and their bullying,” Pompeo said.
It is going to take a global effort to confront the Chinese Communist Party, Mike Pompeo said and mentioned the “idea of a new alliance of democracies” for this. He said there was a lot discussions with “friends in the region” about the shape it would take.
“We are working diplomatically to build out a set of relationships, whether that is a part of a formal organisation or not, I am not sure I know the answer to it yet,” he said.
“I am more confident than I was even a year ago that the world is prepared to do that. There’s a lot more work to do, and we need to be serious about it,” said the top American diplomat.
