‘Big show every day’: China says damage done to Washington’s image by Pompeo will be ‘hard’ to repair

Beijing has said that the tenure of outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has brought “a lot of fun,” but made a dent in America’s prestige and credibility on the world stage.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying was asked at a daily press briefing on Wednesday whether Pompeo will be missed in China.

“Of course,” Hua said in English. She then switched back to Mandarin: “He brought us a lot of fun. We were watching a big show every day.”

But I think he has caused damage to himself, his country’s image, and the credibility of the United States. It will be hard to repair. I think it is very sad for the American people.

Hua accused Pompeo of spreading “lies” during his time in office, saying that “history will give him a fair trial.”

Chinese diplomats often sparred with Pompeo and were scathing in their criticism, calling him “Mr. Liar,” among other things.

A former CIA chief, Pompeo assumed office at the helm of the State Department in 2018. He directed Washington’s pressure campaign against Beijing, advocating restrictions against Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, and sanctions on Chinese officials over the treatment of protesters in Hong Kong and the Uyghur ethnic minority in Xinjiang.

In one of his final acts as America’s top diplomat, Pompeo accused China of committing “genocide” against the Uyghurs, and urged international courts to “promote accountability for those responsible for these atrocities.”

Beijing responded on Wednesday by dismissing the accusations as “outrageous lies” and “poison,” adding that genocide had “never happened in the past, is not happening now, and will never happen in China.” 

In his farewell tweet on Tuesday, Pompeo wrote: “Serving as your Secretary of State has been a privilege and an honor. I'm immensely proud of the achievements we've had in the past four years.”

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