Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently reminded congressional Republicans to be especially vigilant about the threat from the Chinese Communist Party, especially its espionage activities. He also warned the Biden administration that only by matching words with deeds could the current tough language serve as a deterrent to the Chinese Communist Party.
The Washington Examiner reported on April 25 that Pompeo recently participated in a closed-door luncheon hosted by the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. Pompeo recently attended a closed-door luncheon hosted by the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, during which he was asked many questions about the Chinese Communist Party. The Republicans also asked Pompeo to assess President Biden’s ability to handle the national security challenges facing the United States in the Asia-Pacific region and to compare him to former President Trump.
“Frankly, rhetoric is great, but ultimately what matters is action.” Pompeo said, “Everybody has a good plan before they get punched in the face, right? The Chinese will absolutely …… punch us in the face, and then we’ll see if this administration has the backbone to do the right thing.”
Pompeo argued that the “central challenge of our time” is that the Chinese Communist Party is working to try to supplant the United States as a global economic and military power, and that it’s not just an external threat – those threats are here. He recalled the Trump administration’s decision to close the Chinese Communist Party’s consulate in Houston, noting that it was a hub of Communist espionage activity.
“The Chinese Communist Party has conducted a large number of influential operations in the United States.” Pompeo added, and urged lawmakers to work with elected officials in their respective districts, including city council members, county commissions and school board members, to help identify projects and investments that appear benign but are actually cover for espionage activities funded by Beijing.
Pompeo warned that the Chinese Communist Party’s attempts to influence all of these officials are both deep and broad in scope and continue.
In addition to members of the House Republican Study Committee, led by Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks, the discussion included Republican guests like Pompeo, such as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton (R), and Florida U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R), who is currently chairman of the Republican National Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and is in charge of next year’s Senate midterm elections.
In the past week, Pompeo has commented on a number of current foreign policy issues. Pompeo expressed appreciation for the Biden administration’s increased quadripartite cooperation with India, Japan and Australia. “When they do that, we should applaud them,” he said.
But Pompeo also warned that containing the Communist Party will depend heavily on U.S. credibility and that Biden should avoid making the mistake of paying tough lip service to the Communist Party but failing to back up his rhetoric with similar offensive policies.
“If you make promises and don’t keep them, that’s the most dangerous thing you can do.” Pompeo cautioned that “deterrence depends on credible statements backed by actual actions.”
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