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WASHINGTON: The US State Department said on Friday (December 5) that it would end five Chinese-funded exchange programs with the United States, calling them propaganda tools for Beijing.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that these programs, conducted under a US law called MECEA that allows US government employees to travel with foreign government funds, were “disguised as ‘cultural exchanges.’
“While other programs funded under the auspices of MECEA are mutually beneficial, the five programs in question are fully funded and operated by the government of the People’s Republic of China as soft power propaganda tools,” Pompeo said, referring to the People’s Republic. China.
“They provide carefully selected access to officials of the Communist Party of China, not to the Chinese people, who do not enjoy freedom of expression and assembly.”
The termination is the latest reflection of President Donald Trump’s sharply antagonistic relationship with China.
Under Trump, the United States launched a trade war with Beijing, challenged Beijing’s territorial ambitions in disputed Asian waters, criticized its clampdown on freedoms in Hong Kong, and blamed China’s handling of the initial coronavirus outbreak for the now-undermined pandemic. affecting the world.
