Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the press on Iran with members of the Republican Study Committee on April 21.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently warned members of the Republican Study Committee at a closed-door luncheon that Chinese Communist spies are not only an external threat, they are actually in the United States.
The Republican Study Committee is led this year by Indiana U.S. Rep. Jim Banks (R). It is a caucus of House conservatives.
According to the Washington Examiner, Pompeo was asked about China at a closed-door luncheon hosted by the committee, and Republicans at the meeting wanted to know how the U.S. should respond to Beijing. Pompeo was also asked how well Biden has done in dealing with national security challenges from the Asia-Pacific region compared to former President Trump.
“Frankly, (the Biden administration) has been good in rhetoric, but ultimately what matters is action,” Pompeo said, adding, “The Chinese (Communist Party of China) will absolutely …… punch us in the face, and then we’ll see if this administration has the the backbone to do the right thing.”
Pompeo said the “central challenge of our time” is the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to supplant the United States as the economic and military power of global superpowers.
“It’s not just an external threat,” Pompeo said of the Chinese Communist spies, “they’re here. Pompeo recalled the Trump administration’s decision to close the Communist Party’s consulate in Houston because it was a hub for Beijing’s spying activities.
Pompeo added, “The Chinese Communist Party conducts a lot of influence operations in the United States.” He urged Republican House members on the floor to work with elected officials in their districts, including city council members, county commissions and school board members, to help identify projects and investments that appear benign but are actually CCP spying cover funded by Beijing.
“The Chinese (Communist Party of China) are trying to influence them all, deeply and broadly, and it’s continuing.” Pompeo said.
In the past week, Pompeo also answered questions about foreign policy issues other than China, including Russia’s temporary military buildup on the Ukrainian border; Biden’s plan to withdraw from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 of this year, and the dangers of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. There were also questions about immigration and the surge of illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border since Trump left office.
But for the most part, the hot topic continued to be China. One Republican congressman asked Pompeo if he could stop Beijing from invading Taiwan.
Pompeo said the U.S. needs the assistance of its allies, “so we’re strengthening our relationship with India, Japan and Australia, the members of the ‘Quadrilateral Alliance’ (Quad). We built it (Quad), we made it stronger. We’re on the verge of making it (bigger). It looks like the Biden administration is moving down the same path. When they do, we should applaud them. That’s going to be important.”
But Pompeo cautioned that deterring the Chinese Communist Party depends most on U.S. credibility, and Biden wants to avoid making the mistake of talking tough about confronting Beijing but not backing up his rhetoric with similarly aggressive policies.
“You make promises and don’t keep them, and that’s the most dangerous thing you can do.” Pompeo said, “Deterrence depends on credible statements backed by real actions.”
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