Trump Regime War on Chinese Diplomats, Pompeo's Failed Agenda

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Both right wings of the US war party consider China Washington's public enemy number one.

On Wednesday, hawkish US Indo-Pacific Command head Admiral Philip Davidson defied reality, saying:

"An emboldened Communist party of China seeks to change the world to one in which Chinese national power is more important than international law (sic)," adding:

Beijing is trying "to coerce, corrupt and contest the rules-based international order (sic)."

"Today…we address the strategic threat of China and the other security challenges throughout the Indo-Pacific region (sic)."

Reinventing reality, Davidson ignored that China fosters cooperative relations with other countries, confrontation with none.

Its geopolitical agenda is in stark contrast to permanent US wars by hot and other means against invented enemies, a hegemonic agenda risking global war 3.0.

On Wednesday, Pompeo falsely accused China of "impos(ing) significant barriers on American diplomats working in the PRC that are far beyond diplomatic norms (sic)."

China's Global Times (GT) debunked his accusation, saying the following:

"Beijing has never publicly restricted the activities of US diplomats in China by terms not stipulated in the Vienna Convention," adding:  

"US diplomats in China have never received treatment different from diplomats from other Western countries." 

"There are some sensitive areas in Chinese society. But in these fields, all Chinese and foreigners are treated equally."

GT added that in the run-up to US November elections, the Trump regime "is consolidating its tough image against China" — against other countries as well on the US target list for regime change, notably Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.

Pompeo said he's changing what he called "open access to American society" by PRC diplomats.

He announced unacceptable restrictions on them in the US, saying the following:

"The Department of State will now require senior PRC diplomats in the United States to receive approval to visit US university campuses and to meet with local government officials," adding: 

"Cultural events with an audience larger than 50 people hosted by the PRC embassy and consular posts outside of mission properties will also require Department of State approval." 

"The Department of State will also take action to help ensure that all official PRC embassy and consular social media accounts are properly identified as PRC government accounts."

In response, China's Washington embassy denounced his action, saying the following:

"With the excuse of reciprocity, the US imposed yet another unjustified restriction and barrier on Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel on 2 September," adding: 

"This has grossly trampled on the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and China is firmly opposed to it."

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called new US restrictions on its diplomats "irrational (and) delusional," a breach of international diplomatic law.

If not reversed, a "legitimate response" by Beijing will follow.

On August 30, the CIA-connected Washington Post  called Pompeo "the worst secretary of state in (US) history," citing numerous failures.

They include "collapse(d) negotiations with North Korea," failed maximum "pressure" against Iran, and an abortive attempt to oust Venezuela's" Nicolas Maduro.

His anti-China policies risk rupturing relations or something worse.

He "failed to fill dozens of senior positions at the State Department, and hundreds of career diplomats have left or been driven out in political purges." 

"Morale is at a historic low. In staff surveys, there has been a 34 percent increase between 2016 and 2019 in those who say the State Department's senior leaders 'did not maintain high levels of honesty and integrity.' "

He "defied legal mandates from Congress" and fired a department inspector general involved probing his dubious activities.

He broke longstanding tradition, crossing an "ethical line by" addressing the GOP national convention — using Occupied Jerusalem as his backdrop, an action none of his predecessors did before.

His address "was weak and littered with false or simply ludicrous claims…"

As Trump regime foreign policy chief, he "steered" the ship of state "to some of the worst diplomatic damage the United States has suffered in decades — especially in relations with its closest allies."

A geopolitically savvy president would have sacked him long ago.

Geopolitical know-nothing Trump lets his wrecking-ball foreign policy agenda continue unchecked.

His attempt to pressure and bully Britain, France, Germany, and Brussels to impose snapback sanctions and indefinitely extend the Security Council arms embargo on Iran crashed and burned in Vienna and at the UN in humiliating fashion — isolating the US more than already.

His militant hostility toward China, Russia, and Iran risks possible global war.

Former Bush/Cheney regime assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried said US relations with Europe are the "worst (he) can remember" with Pompeo in charge of US foreign policy.

According to WaPo, if the Trump regime unilaterally imposes snapback sanctions on Iran, the US "will stand visibly isolat(ed)."

If he takes this step and it's rejected by key world community nations, his tenure at State as US "history's worst secretary will have reached its apotheosis."

A Final Comment

In response to US war on Huawei and other Chinese tech enterprises, Bloomberg News reported the following:

Beijing "is planning a sweeping set of new government policies to develop its domestic semiconductor industry and counter Trump (regime) restrictions, conferring the same kind of priority on the effort it accorded to building its atomic capability."

Citing sources familiar with its plan, Bloomberg added that China intends providing "broad support (for homeland development of) third-generation semiconductors" as part of its latest five-year plan.

It seeks to develop and produce "critical technology at home" to circumvent Washington's ban on tech exports to the country without its permission. 

President Xi Jinping pledged to invest around $1.4 trillion through 2025 on semiconductor and other high-tech product development so China can be free from foreign restrictions on their imports.

According to technology analyst Dan Wang, China's "leadership realizes that semiconductors underpin all advanced technologies, and that it can no longer dependably rely on American supplies," adding:

"In the face of stricter US restrictions on chip access, China's response can only be to keep pushing its own industry to develop."

Bloomberg estimated that China "imports more than $300 billion worth of integrated circuits each year."

Because of US restrictions and blacklisting of Chinese enterprises, Beijing seeks to become independent from the US as a source for chips and other high-tech products.

According to technology expert Alan Zhou, large-scale investments by Beijing may create a "world-class Chinese chip giant" that's able to challenge US tech firms for market dominance in the coming years.

VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman). Contact at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

My two Wall Street books are timely reading:

"How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion, and Class War"

https://www.claritypress.com/product/how-wall-street-fleeces-america/

"Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

https://www.claritypress.com/product/banker-occupation-waging-financial-war-on-humanity/