Pompeo, "China Must Commit to Trade Deal Implementation... Hong Kong Security Law Should Be Withdrawn"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, announced on the 18th (local time) that China has pledged full implementation of the Phase One trade agreement between the U.S. and China. However, he strongly demanded that China retract its position on the Hong Kong issue.

Secretary Pompeo tweeted a day after his meeting with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China responsible for foreign affairs, held in Hawaii, stating, "During the meeting with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, he reaffirmed the completion and implementation of all obligations under the Phase One trade agreement between the two countries."

Pompeo also shared a commemorative photo showing him smiling broadly with Yang Jiechi and another photo of them walking into the meeting room smiling, signaling that the meeting was positive.

Pompeo’s tweet on the day is interpreted as blocking the possibility of the Phase One trade agreement being nullified amid worsening tensions between the two countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic responsibility debate and the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law. It reconfirms the validity of the Phase One trade agreement while also applying pressure on China.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of reconsidering the continuation of the U.S.-China Phase One trade agreement during a White House press conference on the 5th, saying, "I see the trade agreement a little differently than I did three months ago."

Secretary Pompeo made it clear that he has no intention of backing down on the Hong Kong issue. In a subsequent tweet, he reminded that he and other foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) have expressed concerns about China’s enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law and urged China to change its position.

He pressured, saying, "(The Hong Kong National Security Law) will disrupt the system that has brought long-term prosperity to Hong Kong," and "The United States demands that the Communist Party of China reconsider (the Hong Kong National Security Law)."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.