The US Must Watch Out for Pompeo’s ‘Trap’ in Limiting Entry of CCP Members!

As the current U.S. administration is about to step off of history’s stage, there comes yet another upset in China-U.S. relations. Starting Dec. 2, members of the Chinese Communist Party and their families will face restrictions on their visits to the U.S. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying aptly stated, “I think it is obvious to all that this is an escalation of political suppression by some extreme anti-China forces in the U.S. out of strong ideological prejudice and deep-rooted Cold War mentality against China.”

After the news aired, many Chinese citizens commented online with statements such as, “I’m a member of the CCP,” “Then you might as well include members of the Young Pioneers and Communist Youth League too,” and “The COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. has become such a mess, I wouldn’t go even if you invited me.” Without a doubt, this move has openly pitted the U.S. against 1.4 billion Chinese citizens, meaning it stands opposed to one-fifth of the world’s population.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has recently spoken out against China, has undoubtedly played an ignominious role in concocting this policy. As The Washington Post wrote, “Mike Pompeo is the worst secretary of state in history.” He has always maintained a hateful and unusual attitude toward China, continually stirred up trouble, and contributed to the rise of both anti-Communist and anti-Chinese sentiment to the point of hysteria.

China-U.S. relations are at their worst since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1979. This undoubtedly is due to Pompeo and his advisers. It’s also a snare that is being laid out for the future administration by anti-China politicians.

The clock is ticking for Pompeo and his like. Apart from further undermining China-U.S. relations, it seems that it has been difficult to take any further diplomatic steps. However, by allowing the seeds of anti-China and anti-communist sentiment to take root, the "Pompeo trap" is being dug deeper and deeper, and the U.S. will eventually fall in headfirst!

First, there is the poisoned arrow fired by Pompeo and his cohorts which will ultimately damage the United States’ global image.

Openness and inclusion have undoubtedly played a vital role in making the U.S. a superpower. However, its restrictions on the entry of Communist Party members into the U.S. are a complete departure from that philosophy. At this very moment, anti-China politicians should seriously consider the voices of those on the outside who are asking, "The U.S. is the world's most powerful country, what else is left for it? What impression does it want to leave on the world?” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua also stated that the United States’ actions are “totally inconsistent with [its] own interests, [and] it will only further damage its self-proclaimed image of ‘openness’ and ‘freedom,’ and hurt its institutional advantage before the entire world.”

Second, the actions of Pompeo and his like just might come back to bite them.

The New York Times calculated that there are an estimated 92 million members of the Chinese Communist Party. The new policy could affect the travel of approximately 270 million people. China doesn’t stir up trouble, but it also isn’t afraid of it either. China has implemented countermeasures in response to the recent and incessant provocation. The U.S. should be well aware of this fact. If the U.S. continues to refuse to rescind the visa restrictions on Communist Party members and their relatives, China’s reciprocal countermeasures should come as no surprise to the U.S.

Third, unfortunately the ones who will ultimately fall into the “Pompeo trap” are those in the U.S. administration.

Judging from recent statements put out by Joe Biden’s team, the future U.S. administration seeks to work with China on issues such as climate change, nuclear nonproliferation and health. At the same time, Biden’s administration is eager to regain world leadership, but it is unthinkable for the U.S. to advance its agenda globally without China's cooperation. However, under the leadership of Pompeo and his accomplices, the longer China-U.S. relations remain at a stalemate, the harder it will be to redeem the relationship between the two countries after the White House changes administrations, and the chances of both countries cooperating smoothly will grow slimmer.

That said, the “Pompeo trap” is not impossible to avoid. But this means that the U.S. must look at China and its development in a more rational, calm and objective manner, and let go of its hatred and prejudice toward the CCP. Just as Hua said, "We hope that the U.S. will make joint efforts with China to enhance a correct understanding of each other through dialogue and communication, and promote the healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations. Only in this way will it be in the fundamental and long-term interests of both countries’ citizens, and in line with the expectations of the world."

Where should we go from here? The answer is obvious!