Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s trip to the U.K. affirms a strong alliance between the U.K. and U.S.
Yesterday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the UK to meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and First Secretary of State Dominic Raab about 5G, China, and a U.S.-U.K. Free Trade agreement.
The trip has the potential to escalate tensions between the U.S. and China as human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims continue to spark outrage. With the U.K.’s recent ban on Huawei, their relationship with China stretches thin.
Chinese Ambassador To UK: The UK Should Not “Dance To The Tune Of Americans”
During a press conference today, the Secretary of State stated, “I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the British government for its principled responses to these challenges; you have made a sovereign decision to ban Huawei from future 5G networks, you have joined other free nations to condemn China’s broken promises on the Sino-British treaty, you generously opened your doors to Hong Kongers who … are fleeing for freedom.”
Liu Xiaoming, the Chinese Ambassador to the U.K., appeared on The Andrew Marr Show on the BBC and slammed the U.K., stating, “the UK should have its own independent foreign policy, rather than dance to the tune of Americans.”
Yesterday, Foreign Secretary Raab announced a suspension of an extradition treaty with Hong Kong, sparking outrage among the Chinese government. China responded by threatening U.K. firms like Jaguar Landrover and HSBC with sanctions.
Reaffirming A Special Relationship
Upon his arrival in London Monday night, Pompeo took to Twitter. “Great to be back in London to reaffirm the #SpecialRelationship we share with our closest ally,” he wrote.
Today, Pompeo tweeted, “constructive visit with @BorisJohnson today. Our two countries’ long-standing, strong bilateral relationship has laid the foundation for today’s candid discussion on issues ranging from 5G telecommunication to our negotiations for a U.S.-UK free trade agreement.”
As Pompeo walked with Johnson along Downing Street, the Prime Minister joked, “social distance does not imply diplomatic or political distance.”