Mike Pompeo: China's exploitation of George Floyd protests shows true colors

The secretary of state asserted that there is a stark difference between the United States and the CCP.

By ZACHARY KEYSER
Protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington (photo credit: REUTERS)
Protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington
(photo credit: REUTERS)
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for their egregious use of propaganda with regard to the George Floyd protests that have swept through America in recent weeks.
Pompeo claims that China has used the recent period of civil unrest within the United States to justify the totalitarian rule of their autocratic government, and deny human rights violations that they have been accused of in the past.
"The Chinese Communist Party’s callous exploitation of the tragic death of George Floyd to justify its authoritarian denial of basic human dignity exposes its true colors yet again," he said. "As with dictatorships throughout history, no lie is too obscene, so long as it serves the party’s lust for power. This laughable propaganda should not fool anyone."
Pompeo asserted that there is a stark difference between the United States and the CCP, and he provided a situational example of accusations of religious persecution purportedly committed by the Chinese government.
"In China, when a church burns, the attack was almost certainly directed by the CCP," Pompeo said. "In America, when a church burns, the arsonists are punished by the government, and it is the government that brings fire trucks, water, aid and comfort to the faithful."
China’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office eight years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party. Additionally, Chinese officials encourage their citizens to practice a Chinese model of Chrisitianity.
China has been following a policy it calls the “Sinicization” of religion, trying to root out foreign influences and enforce obedience to the Communist Party.
He then went on to discuss government crackdowns on the peaceful protests that have taken place from Hong Kong to Tiananmen Square, which are more times than not met with violent government opposition, and their stop-at-nothing attitude in preventing societies like Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong from breaking off of Mainland China to live under autonomous rule.
"In China, peaceful protesters from Hong Kong to Tiananmen Square are clubbed by armed militiamen for simply speaking out. Reporters writing of these indignities are sentenced to long terms in prison," Pompeo said. "In the United States, law enforcement – both state and federal – brings rogue officers to justice, and welcomes peaceful protests while forcefully shutting down looting and violence – and exercises power pursuant to the Constitution to protect property and liberty for all. Our free press covers events wall to wall, for all the world to see."
He added that "in China, when citizens hold opinions that diverge from CCP dogma, the Party imprisons them in re-education camps. And, when people – such as those in Hong Kong and Taiwan – with common roots in an awe-inspiring civilization that has endured for thousands of years embrace freedom, that freedom is crushed, and the people subordinated to Party dictates and demands. In the United States, in contrast, even amidst reckless rioting, we demonstrate our robust commitment to the rule of law, transparency and unalienable human rights."
IN LATE 2019, five leading human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, publicly urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to condemn these labor camps.
"According to Human Rights Watch, Chinese officials threatened delegations when its human rights record was to be routinely reviewed over the last two years," said Maya Carlin, a security analyst for the Center for Security Policy. "Concurrently, Chinese diplomats intentionally provided false information to its reviewers and threatened those attempting to attend a panel discussion on Uighurs in Xinjiang."
"Clearly, the UN has been unsuccessful in thwarting off pressure to keep China’s countless atrocities against its own citizens under wraps."
China has been accused of perpetuating modern-day slavery through the detainment of Uighur Muslims, putting them in makeshift concentration camps. In the last three years, more than two million ethnic minorities, including Uighurs, Uzbeks and Kazakhs, have been forced into these prison-like conditions, which the UN has failed to denounce.
"Instead of punishing the Chinese regime for its intentional misreporting and contribution to the spread of the pandemic, this already discredited UN has disparaged itself further by allowing this tyrannical government to greatly increase its influence in the UN Human Rights Council," said Carlin.
"Beijing in recent days has showcased its continuing contempt for the truth and scorn for law," Pompeo concluded. "The CCP’s propaganda efforts – seeking to conflate the United States’ actions in the wake of the death of George Floyd with the CCP’s continued denial of basic human rights and freedom – should be seen for the fraud that they are.
"During the best of times, the PRC ruthlessly imposes communism. Amid the most difficult challenges, the United States secures freedom."
Reuters contributed to this report.