{Editor’s Note: The following is a full text translation of an opinion article that the Chinese official newspaper Global Times published on May 15, 2019. The title was, “Do Me a Favor. Let’s Bump the Great U.S. Secretary of the State Pompeo to the Top of the Online Posting.” Although there is no lack of negative portrayals of U.S. government and American officials in Beijing’s media, a direct and almost personal attack on a high ranking U.S. official is quite rare. The translation follows} {1}
Global Times: Do Me a Favor. Let’s Bump the Great US Secretary of the State Pompeo to the Top of the Online Posting
Among the U.S. Secretaries of State, there are many outstanding figures. Among them is the first Secretary of State, Jefferson, who later became the President of the United States. However, history has never seen a Secretary of State like Pompeo, who runs the State Department like the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and does the Secretary of State job like the head of the CIA.
Praised by President Trump as great and outstanding, Secretary Pompeo recently claimed during a speech at a university in the U.S. “I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole. It’s ─ it was like ─ we had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment.” {2}
Pompeo was not just saying it. He was serious.
It has been a year and one month since he took the office. Let’s sit back and enjoy the great performance done by Secretary of State, Mr. Pompeo.
Warning, mocking, teasing allies
A few days ago, Pompeo made a special trip to the U.K. and warned the U.K. against using the Huawei products and against participating in China’s “Belt and Road” initiative.
Pompeo ferociously threatened that U.K’s attitude towards China and Huawei could “impede Washington’s sharing of intelligence with London.” He taunted the British Prime Minister face-to-face: Mrs. Thatcher would not do what you have done! {3}
Sitting there, Teresa May was immediately petrified upon listening to his remarks.
On May 7th, Pompeo’s was originally scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. Merkel, together with her foreign minister, had planned a dinner. The group waited and waited, and nobody showed up.
It’s not until after hurrying to check with the U.S. that the Chancellor’s office learn that Pompeo had flown to Iraq to deal with the so-called “emergency affairs.” Despite the fact that Merkel is the prime minister of a major country, the US Secretary of State stood her up. The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung believes that it is rude to cancel a visit at the last minute.
Pompeo does not look at it this way. In his eyes, the German Chancellor is a nobody.
Bullying, threatening, trampling on other nations
Being unscrupulous toward allies, it is not inconceivable to imagine how arrogant Pompeo can be towards other countries.
North Korea asked to exclude Pompeo from the DPRK-US negotiating delegation. The reason was very strong: it is better not to have him involved in the Trump-Kim summit. Otherwise the negotiation would be guaranteed to fail.
In other words, Pompeo is a trouble maker who is unable to achieve anything, but he is good at spoiling everything.
After fooling Merkel, Pompeo flew directly to Iraq, warning Baghdad that they need to be less dependent on the Iranian power grid. He also tried to take a backseat and tell Iraq what to do.
What an authoritative parenting style!
Instigating increased sanctions against Iran and blatantly inciting subversion of the Venezuelan regime is what Pompeo is best at and gets most excited about.
Accuse, slander, blame China
Pompeo never forgets to spread rumors about and slander China wherever he goes.
When he visited the four Latin American countries in April, he couldn’t stop talking about and attacking the “Belt and Road” initiative, like a gossiping wife.
Reuters, however, quoted the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a positive tone: “One hundred and fifty countries, 92 international organizations and more than 6,000 delegates from various countries attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, including 50 delegates from the United States.” {4}
Former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Chas Freeman said in an interview with the media that he needed to remind the public that, if you walk out of the US capital, you will find that people have a much more positive view of China. Every governor in the country is trying to go over there and sell things or attract Chinese investment. {5}
Before Pompeo even finished up rumors about China, he called out China at the Arctic Council Ministerial Conference, saying that China has no right to participate in the affairs in the Arctic region. He even threatened the participating countries, telling them that China was trying to turn the polar region into the South China Sea.
As soon as he touches the subject of China, Pompeo just can’t stop. To what extent? People said, “We are tired of hearing it.”
Pompeo, the trouble maker
An article in the British Guardian said that, unlike the former US Secretary of State, Pompeo himself is a problem. Among all the US Secretaries of State, it is difficult to find one who it is more dangerous than Pompeo. His reactionary views almost challenge everything that modern Britain represents. {6}
A German TV program once painted a portrait of Pompeo, saying that Pompeo has served as Secretary of State for nearly a year and has visited nearly 40 countries, but in many areas, people still see him as a CIA director.
In an interview with Russia Today, Canadian independent political analyst Alessandro Bruno said, “US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton are now in the driver’s seat, steering US policy into ever greater provocation and conflict across several continents.” {7}
It has also been said that, in diplomacy, the Trump administration is now more like a “Pompeo-Bolton” government and its diplomatic thinking and agenda are held by these two right-wing politicians.
Even Latin American media asked, who is ruling the United States today? Is it Trump, Pence, Pompeo, or Bolton?
In fact, we do not understand either of them.
In more than a year, Mr. Pompeo has put on so many great performances and worked so hard to establish his sense of existence. Is he trying to grab the limelight from his boss, or does he have a different agenda?
Do me a favor. Let’s bump the great US Secretary of the State Pompeo to the top of the online posting.
I am deeply worried about President Trump.
Endnotes:
{1} Global Times, May 15, 2019. “Do Me a Favor. Let’s Bump the Great US Secretary of the State Pompeo to the Top of the Online Posting.”
http://world.huanqiu.com/article/2019-05/14897141.html?agt=15422
{2} See Mike Pompeo’s Address and Q&A at Texas A&M: The Impact of Diplomacy on Daily Life, delivered 15 April 2019 at College Station, Texas.
https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mikepompeotexasA&M.htm
{3} Pompeo’s original words: “Ask yourself: would the Iron Lady be silent when China violates the sovereignty of nations through corruption or coercion?” The Guardian, May 8, 2019. “Mike Pompeo urges Tories to ask: ‘What would Thatcher do?’”
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/may/08/mike-pompeo-invokes-thatcher-push-harder-line-china-huawei
{4} Reuters, May 9, 2019. “China says ‘fed up’ with hearing U.S. complaints on Belt and Road.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-silkroad-usa/china-says-fed-up-with-hearing-u-s-complaints-on-belt-and-road-idUSKCN1SF0UY
{5} The translator cannot find the original words for the first sentence. The second sentence is from “Key diplomat in 1979 opening of U.S.-China relations says they are more strained than ever” Washington Post, February 5, 2019. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/02/05/key-diplomat-china-opening-says-relations-more-strained-than-ever-since-then
{6} The Guardian’s original words are as follows: “If there has been a less impressive, more dangerous US secretary of state, it is hard to name one. Pompeo’s reactionary views challenge almost everything modern Britain stands for.” The Guardian, May 4, 2019. “Mike Pompeo: a bully boy calls at No 10.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/04/mike-pompeo-bully-boy-calls-at-no-10
{7} Russia Today, May 6, 2019. “Hawks at the wheel: Bolton and Pompeo ‘steering US towards confrontation everywhere’”
https://www.rt.com/news/458514-pompeo-bolton-confrontation-everywhere