The U.S. secretary of state on Thursday (Oct. 29) again criticized the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for persecuting Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang and trampling on religious freedom, calling it the “greatest threat” to religious freedom.
Pompeo made the comments in Jakarta while addressing the Anso Youth Movement, the youth wing of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, the Federation of Islamic Clerics (FIC). The organization has nearly 10 million members and has broad influence.
Pompeo emphasized the United States’ shared commitment to religious freedom for Muslims in Indonesia, mentioned Indonesia’s religious tolerance, and praised the contributions of Indonesian expatriates.
Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Pompeo said, “The atheistic Communist Party of China is trying to convince the world that its brutally repressive tactics against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang are necessary to fight terrorism or to eradicate poverty, depending on who the audience is.”
But, Pompeo said, “I know that the Chinese Communist Party is trying to get Indonesians to turn a blind eye to the suffering of your Muslim brothers (in Xinjiang).”
Pompeo also called wishful thinking the claim by Chinese officials that Uighurs are “eager to give up their ethnic, religious, and cultural identities to catch up with the ‘times’ and enjoy the benefits of development under the Communist Party. Pompeo urged Indonesians not to believe the CCP’s lies.
China has denied accusations of persecution of Uighurs, saying that the so-called detention camps are vocational training centers designed to eradicate extremism and promote economic development.
Indonesia is the last stop on Pompeo’s South Asia tour. He has already visited India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. In India, he held 2+2 talks with U.S. Secretary of Defense Esper and India’s foreign and defense ministers, which resulted in a military cooperation agreement between the two sides. Under the agreement, India will be able to share U.S. satellite intelligence, link up with U.S. military intelligence systems, significantly improve the “accuracy” of India’s advanced weapons, and strengthen India’s military capabilities.
Pompeo also pledged to the Maldives to open the first U.S. embassy in the country.
Jakarta is home to the headquarters of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In an earlier joint press conference with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Pompeo harshly criticized China for threatening its neighbors. He said, “We respect maritime freedom, sovereignty and the rule of law.” Marsudi said, “Any claim should be based on universally recognized principles of international law.”
Pompeo arrived in Jakarta on Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, he met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and then with Indonesian Foreign Minister Malsundi.
In a joint press conference with Marsudi, Pompeo praised Indonesia’s efforts to resist China’s “illegal” claims in the South China Sea and to protect its territorial sovereignty.
He said, “Our law-abiding nation’s rejection of the Chinese Communist Party’s illegal claims in the South China Sea is clear from the bold leadership role Indonesia has shown in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United Nations on this issue. We also welcome the example Indonesia is setting by taking decisive action to defend its maritime sovereignty around the Natuna Islands.”
Pompeo said, “This is a cause worth pursuing in a multilateral framework, and the Trump administration is very supportive of it.”
Over the past period, Indonesian authorities have boldly expelled Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels that entered the Natuna Islands EEZ, and President Widodo made a high-profile visit to Greater Natuna earlier this year to emphasize that the Natuna Islands and their waters are Indonesian territory.
In July of this year, the U.S. made a major shift in its position on the South China Sea, denying almost all of China’s claims in the disputed waters. In the past, the U.S. had believed that China and its smaller neighbors would resolve their sovereignty disputes through peaceful means and in accordance with the relevant U.N. arbitration results. But since then, the United States has announced that it does not recognize any of China’s maritime claims outside of its own internationally recognized waters.
Pompeo said that China’s claims to the waters of Jamshed (China’s name for the dark sands of Zengmu) near Malaysia, Van An Beach (China’s name for the Spratly Islands) near Vietnam, North Lucania Beach (China’s name for the dark sands of North Kham) near Brunei, and the island of Day Natuna (China’s name for the Zengmu Archipelago) near Indonesia are illegitimate.
Foreign Minister Marsudi stated, “The South China Sea should be a sea of stability and peace. International law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, must be respected and enforced. Therefore, any claim of sovereignty should be based on international law that is universally recognized by the international community, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
In 2016, an international tribunal ruled that China’s nine-dash line claim violated the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Recent Comments