Pompeo to press for action in EU talks on China

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday he would open a dialogue with the European Union on China and voiced hope it would lead to tougher action.

Pompeo said he had accepted a proposal for a dedicated channel on China policy with the 27-nation bloc as recommended by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during virtual talks with Pompeo on June 15. “I´m very hopeful that I´ll be able to travel to Europe here in just a handful of weeks to go kick that off,” Pompeo, known for his hawkish views on China, told a forum of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Pompeo acknowledged divergent views on China within the EU, where some nations have developed strong trading links with the Asian power, but hoped the dialogue could serve as a “catalyst for action. “Once we´re confident that we have a shared understanding of the threat that is posed by the Chinese Communist Party, then we can begin to take action,” Pompeo told the think tank´s Brussels Forum, held virtually due to the coronavirus.