The editor-in-chief of a Chinese state-run newspaper has accused U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of ‘humiliating the US and the West’ as he stepped up his rhetoric against Washington’s politicians.
The news comes after Pompeo claimed that the Chinese Communist Party ‘has come to view itself as intent upon the destruction of Western ideas, Western democracies, and Western values.’
‘It puts Americans at risk, whether it’s stealing American intellectual property or destroying jobs here in the U.S.,’ Pompeo slammed in a tweet yesterday.
Beijing threatened to retaliate against Washington over a U.S. decision to revoke special treatment for Hong Kong due to the city’s fast diminishing freedoms.
Hu Xijin (pictured), the head of Communist propaganda outlet the Global Times, lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today after Pompeo criticised China’s Communist Party
Hu also trolled Pompeo (pictured on May 20) by urging him to ‘stand with the angry people of Minneapolis’ after the latter repeatedly voiced his support for the Hong Kong demonstrators
Hu lashed out at Pompeo on Twitter, a platform Chinese citizens are not allowed to use
Hu Xijin, the outspoken head of Communist propaganda outlet the Global Times, lashed out at Pompeo today.
‘Did Beijing publicly support US protests and give aid to radical left-wing forces, like the political infiltration Washington has done to China?’ Hu wrote on Twitter, which is banned in China.
He continued: ‘You spoke as if destroying the US ideas, US democracy and US values is a piece of cake.
‘You are humiliating the US and the West.’
Chinese state media outlets and spokespeople have aimed at the U.S. government, comparing the protests and clashes in America with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.
Beijing has long been infuriated by criticism from Western capitals, especially Washington D.C., over its handling of the pro-democracy protests that shook Hong Kong last year.
Unrest has erupted across the U.S. after starting in Minneapolis over racial inequality and police brutality after the death during the arrest of an unarmed black man named George Floyd.
Chinese media circulated video clips suggesting Hong Kong police were ‘restrained’ compared to actions seen in the U.S.
On Friday, Hu trolled Pompeo by urging him to ‘stand with the angry people of Minneapolis’ after the latter repeatedly voiced his support for the Hong Kong demonstrators.
The pro-democracy unrest erupted in the Asian financial hub last June and is ongoing. ‘Stand with Hong Kong’ is one of the protesters’ slogans.
Chinese state media have taken aim at the US government over the weekend as many American cities were gripped by raging protests and clashes. Pictured, NYPD police officers detain a protester on May 30 as they clash during a march against the death of George Floyd
Chinese state-run media seized on the opportunity to compare the violence to Beijing’s handling of the pro-democracy protests that shook Hong Kong last year. Pictured, protesters clash with police in Philadelphia on May 30 during a rally over the death of George Floyd
Chinese media also circulated video clips suggesting Hong Kong police were ‘restrained’. Pictured, police take part in a crowd dispersal operation in the Central district of Hong Kong on May 27 as the city’s legislature debates over a law that bans insulting China’s national anthem
Hu, an influential Chinese state editor, tweeted a question to Hong Kong protesters, asking them if they would demonstrate in the U.S. under its response to George Floyd demonstrators
‘US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once called the violent protests in Hong Kong ‘a beautiful sight to behold.’… US politicians now can enjoy this sight from their own windows,’ Hu mocked US politicians again on Saturday in a column on his paper.
He added it was ‘as if the radical rioters in Hong Kong somehow snuck into the US and created a mess like they did last year.’
He also tweeted, a question for ‘violent protesters in Hong Kong and their supporters there,’ asking ‘Would you stand with angry Minneapolis demonstrators who attacked police station, or would you stand with President Trump who threatens to shoot ‘These THUGS’?
China has insisted that ‘foreign forces’ are to blame for the turmoil in Hong Kong, where pro-democracy protesters – described by Beijing as rioters – have marched in the millions since June last year and often clashed with the police.
One clip posted by the People’s Daily compared the recent on-screen arrest of a CNN reporter with scenes of Hong Kong police appearing to back away from journalists in the city last year
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also took aim at Washington, tweeting ‘I can’t breathe,’ with a screenshot of a tweet by US State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus that had criticised the Chinese government over its Hong Kong policy
Beijing sparked outrage and concern earlier this month with a plan to impose a law on Hong Kong that it said was needed to protect national security and curb ‘terrorism.’
Pro-democracy activists and Western nations condemned the move as another attempt to chip away at the city’s unique freedoms.
Following President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would strip Hong Kong of its special privileges, a commentary published Sunday in China Daily – a mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party – said U.S. politicians dreamed of ‘victimizing’ China.
‘Better give up that dream and come back to reality,’ it said.
‘Violence is spreading across the US… US politicians should do their jobs and help solve problems in the US, instead of trying to create new problems and troubles in other countries.’
Lack of transparency
The back-and-forth over Hong Kong has exacerbated U.S.-China tensions, which were already high over a number of issues – including trade and the coronavirus pandemic, over which Trump has accused Beijing of a lack of transparency.
As violence broke out in the U.S. over the weekend, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying also took aim at Washington.
‘I can’t breathe,’ she said on Twitter, with a screenshot of a tweet by U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus that had criticised the Chinese government over its Hong Kong policy.
The back-and-forth over Hong Kong has exacerbated US-China tensions, which were already high over a number of issues – including trade and the coronavirus pandemic, over which President Donald Trump (pictured) has accused Beijing of a lack of transparency
Hua was quoting the words George Floyd was heard saying repeatedly before his death – after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes – which sparked the current unrest in the United States.
Over the weekend, Chinese media also circulated video clips of the U.S. violence, accompanied by the hashtag ‘How restrained are the Hong Kong police’ on the Twitter-like platform Weibo.
One clip posted by the People’s Daily on Sunday compared the recent on-screen arrest of CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez, who was covering the unrest in the U.S. city of Minneapolis last Friday, with scenes of Hong Kong police appearing to back away from media personnel in the city last year.
The accompanying caption said ‘reporters used their professional identities to obstruct law enforcement.’
Police in Hong Kong have been accused by rights groups of using excessive force during pro-democracy protests last year. They have been accused of using tear gas, water cannons and making mass arrests at the protests.