Mike Pompeo wraps up ‘anti-China’ tour of Asia in Vietnam

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrapped up a five-nation, anti-China tour of Asia in Vietnam on Friday with a name for regional unity to counter Beijing’s rising assertiveness, because the fierce American presidential election race entered its remaining stretch.

With simply 4 days left within the marketing campaign by which China has been a central theme, Pompeo visited Hanoi ostensibly to have fun 25 years of US-Vietnam relations. But, as he has at his earlier stops in India, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia, Pompeo’s primary intention was to shore up assist for pushing again on China.

“We have enormous respect for the Vietnamese people and your country’s sovereignty,” Pompeo instructed Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

In transient feedback heard by reporters, neither man talked about China by identify, however Pompeo’s use of the phrase “sovereignty” has turn into code for referring to opposition to Chinese encroachment, significantly in Asia.

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“We look forward to continuing to work together to build on our relationship and to make the region — throughout Southeast Asia, Asia and the Indo-Pacific — safe and peaceful and prosperous,” Pompeo stated.

Phuc stated he seeks “sincere cooperation” between either side in assist of a peaceable area

The Trump administration has made confronting China, its dealing with of the coronavirus pandemic, human rights report and aggressiveness in direction of its smaller neighbours considered one of its primary overseas coverage priorities. Those points, significantly the Chinese origin of the virus, have been highlighted by President Donald Trump as he seeks to beat again a stiff re-election problem from former Vice President Joe Biden within the Nov three polls.

Trump has sought to color Biden as weak on China and beholden to it, repeatedly elevating questions on alleged connections between Biden’s son, Hunter, and Chinese companies.

Amid considerations concerning the unfold of Covid-19, Vietnam was a late addition to Pompeo’s itinerary and has quite a few fears about Chinese insurance policies within the area. Those vary from Beijing’s territorial and maritime claims within the South China Sea to its improvement actions alongside the Mekong River, which runs by a lot of mainland Southeast Asia and is a regional lifeline.

In a press release launched forward of Pompeo’s arrival in Vietnam, the State Department attacked China for reneging on cooperation pledges with different Mekong international locations and for aggressively pursuing suspect claims within the South China Sea.

China’s “malign and destabilizing actions in the Mekong region, including manipulation of Mekong River water flows, negatively affect millions of people who depend on the river for their livelihoods,” it stated.

“The United States stands with our Indo-Pacific allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources in the South China Sea, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law,” it stated. It famous that earlier this yr, Pompeo had rejected outright practically all of Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims within the South China Sea, together with these involving Vietnam.

“The United States rejects (China’s) maritime claims to the waters surrounding Vanguard Bank off Vietnam’s coast,” the assertion stated. “We will oppose any efforts aimed at undermining the rules-based maritime order in the South China Sea or elsewhere.”

China’s strikes to say its claims within the South China Sea, by which a 3rd of world delivery passes, have drawn rebuke from the United States and turn into a flashpoint for a area by which Southeast Asian neighbours Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all have rival claims.

China has ignored an arbitration ruling gained by the Philippines that invalidated most of Beijing’s claims, and constructed navy outposts on seven man-made islands.

Pompeo arrived in Vietnam from Indonesia, the place he praised Indonesian management within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for pushing again on what he known as China’s “unlawful” South China Sea claims and denounced Beijing for its remedy of non secular minorities, calling it “the gravest threat to the future of religious freedom.”

Pompeo had travelled to Indonesia from the Maldives, Sri Lanka and India on stops the place he steadily ratcheted up the strain on Beijing, which has rejected US considerations and accused him and others within the Trump administration of fanning the flames of a brand new Cold War.

In the Maldives, Pompeo introduced the United States would for the primary time open an embassy within the Indian Ocean archipelago, a transfer that displays rising US concern about rising Chinese affect and what he known as “its lawless and threatening behaviour” within the Indo-Pacific area.

Just hours earlier in Sri Lanka, Pompeo had accused China of being a ”predator” in smaller international locations by exploiting them with loans and improvement initiatives meant to profit the Chinese greater than the meant recipients.

At his first cease of the tour in India, Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper had stepped up the administration’s anti-China message by enjoying on Indian suspicions concerning the Chinese to shore up a regional entrance in opposition to Beijing within the Indo-Pacific.

Just hours earlier than the conferences in New Delhi started, the Trump administration notified Congress of plans for a $2.37 billion sale of Harpoon missile methods to Taiwan — the second main arms sale in two weeks to the democratic island that Beijing regards as a renegade province. China angrily reacted by asserting sanctions on US protection contractors.