Within a week from Jan. 19 to Jan. 26, former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave two interviews to conservative media outlets. The first Time he focused on warning the Biden team that the Chinese Communist Party must be taken seriously as an existential threat to the United States, and the second time he said he was fully convinced that the Chinese Communist Party was looking for a “soft spot” in the Biden Administration and hoped the United States would not appease or back down. This seems to indicate that in just one week, Pompeo needs to go further: Beijing is looking for signs of Washington’s “appeasement and concessions,” or “soft underbelly,” in every word and deed of the Biden team.
Jan. 19
Let’s start with the warning issued by outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Fox News on January 19, when he called on the incoming Biden administration to take seriously the “existential” threat posed to the United States by the Chinese Communist Party. The threat from the Chinese Communist Party is real, and it is real for the United States,” he said. We have to get this right.” “I’m counting on the next administration to continue our work and to continue to build on what we’ve done in the right way that the American people are asking for. I am very confident that the American people have understood this challenge from the Chinese Communist Party. I will look to every leader, regardless of political affiliation, to continue to protect and secure America’s freedoms.”
Since then-Secretary of State Blinken said during his Senate confirmation hearings that the United States should demonstrate “humility” in its foreign policy, reporters asked Pompeo if he was concerned that Blinken would embark on an “apology tour” after taking office. Pompeo replied, “I hope not.” “I’m proud of this country, which (the United States) is the most exceptional country in the history of civilization. I’m proud of the work that the Trump administration has done on the Middle East, on China. We’ve made Life better for people all over the world. We recognize that the people of Iran and North Korea deserve better, and we’ve worked diligently to make that happen. This should not be something that we in the United States should apologize for.”
On the same day, the U.S. State Department officially recognized Beijing’s systematic oppression of Uighur Muslims as “genocide and Crimes Against Humanity. Pompeo added at the time: “The information released today is appropriate, appropriate, and hopefully will lead to a better life for the people of this region.”
Jan. 26
A week later this Tuesday, Jan. 26, Pompeo was interviewed by Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, who was asked if the Biden administration and the new secretary of state understood the current threats facing the United States. Pompeo replied, “I think they do, I think they see it, and I hope they get it right.” In particular, he added, “Backing down will not cause the Chinese Communist Party to change its direction or its course. Quite the contrary, they need to see fierce resistance and the ability to demonstrate the ability to make them pay.” Does this passage show that Pompeo does not share his successor’s moderate diplomatic style? Because this could be seen as an opportunity for Beijing to take advantage of, or a “soft spot.
In the following conversation, Pompeo used the term “soft underbelly,” a favorite Chinese term, and said that the Chinese Communist Party was looking for a “soft underbelly” in the Biden team to influence and complete the Communist Party’s efforts to hinder the Trump presidency. Pompeo cautioned that the Chinese Communist Party is looking for “soft underbelly” in the Biden team in order to exert influence and complete a series of efforts that have been hampered during the Trump presidency. Pompeo cautioned, “The next administration has a responsibility, a serious responsibility, to continue to tell the Chinese Communist Party that we are not going to go back to the appeasement policies of the last 40 or 50 years.” “The Chinese Communist Party has taken advantage of Americans and destroyed millions of jobs, and that is intolerable, and the United States will not continue to hold back.”
When the host asked, “Do you expect Beijing to try to take over Taiwan in the same way it went into Hong Kong and took over Tibet?” Pompeo replied, “I have every confidence that they [the Chinese Communist Party] will challenge this administration to see if they can find a soft spot, to see if they can find a way to continue to put pressure on the people of Taiwan.” “This administration, I hope, will do what past administrations have done.”
Pompeo said with satisfaction and confidence, “I think we’ve done that in the past in a unique way. But to be clear, our expectation is to hold the Chinese Communist Party to its commitments to us, just as we have held our commitments to Taiwan. That’s the right thing to do for the American people and the way to put America first.”
Pompeo was also pleased with his successor as secretary of state’s criticism of the CCP’s treatment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.
Shadow Cabinet U.S. Secretary of State for the Next Four Years
Immediately after Biden was sworn in, Beijing claimed sanctions against 28 Trump Administration officials, including Pompeo. Pompeo, who has now joined the Hudson Institute, a leading conservative think tank, will have the opportunity to engage in policy discussions and be close to key party donors.
The political future of Pompeo after he leaves his post as Secretary of State is under the spotlight, and on Fox 26, the host finally asked him if he intended to run for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Pompeo did not give a clear answer to this, but pointed out that he wanted to continue to promote the Trump administration’s “America First” cause in some role.
Pompeo repeatedly expressed his views on U.S.-China relations throughout the week, but with a different emphasis. Although Pompeo stepped down from his post, he was like a U.S. Secretary of State in a shadow cabinet that adhered to a conservative position, giving the world a sense that his voice will be heard again and again in the next four years.
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