China led by CCP is a predator: US Secretary of State Pompeo tells Sri Lanka

Visiting US Secretary of State Micheal Pompeo stressed today that the government of China led by Chinese Community Party (CCP) is a predator state which violates the sovereign rights of other countries through bad deals and lawlessness on land or sea while indicating the US would be a friend and a partner. 

“Indeed, a strong, sovereign Sri Lanka is a powerful and strategic partner for the United States on the world stage.  It can be a beacon for a free and open Indo-Pacific. Look, that’s quite a contrast to what China seeks.  We see from bad deals, violations of sovereignty and lawlessness on land and sea, that the Chinese Communist Party is a predator, and the United States comes in a different way.  We come as a friend and as a partner,” Secretary of State Pompeo said in a joint press briefing after bilateral discussions held at Foreign Ministry today along with Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. 

Secretary Pompeo also noticed that in his victory speech last year, President Rajapaksa stated that he is the president of all citizens, not of only those who voted for him.  And as our two nations move forward, the United States is counting on those words to hold true.  “We fully expect that Sri Lanka will fulfill its pledges to take meaningful, concrete steps to promote accountability, justice, and reconciliation,”

He also noted that both delegations had a wide-ranging discussion on security cooperation which helps keep some of the world’s most vital sea lanes open, as the minister recognized, in addition to our joint trainings. “I’m proud that Sri Lankan officers received training at the United States institutions like West Point, my alma mater, and I’m also proud the United States has donated two Coast Guard cutters that are now Sri Lanka’s navy patrolling your waters.”
 
“Let us all stand together, Mr. Minister, shoulder to shoulder.  We’ve seen some of the good that we can achieve for our citizens when we do.  And let’s do even more together on the strength of our partnership marked by democratic values,” Secretary Pompeo said.