"Stop Sowing Discord": China reacts to Pompeo's visit

China has urged US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to "stop sowing discord" between Beijing and countries in the region, undermining the regional peace and stability, amidst his visit to India for a high-level dialogue aimed at further ramping up overall India-US defence and security ties, and boost strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing in Beijing that Mike Pompeo's attacks and accusations against China are nothing new. "He repeated them time and again," Wang said.

"These are groundless accusations which reflect that he is clinging to the Cold War mentality and ideological biases. We urge him to abandon the Cold War and the zero-sum game mentality and stop sowing discord between China and regional countries as well as undermining the regional peace and stability," Wang said.

In August, Mike Pompeo said that China poses a threat to the West that is in some ways worse than that posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. In July, Mike Pompeo criticised China for its aggressive moves against its neighbours, including "instigating" a deadly confrontation with India in eastern Ladakh, saying Beijing cannot threaten countries and bully them in the Himalayas.