Secretary of State Mike Pompeo<\/a> ratcheted the Trump administration\u2019s criticism of China<\/a> to new heights Sunday, asserting the Chinese Communist Party<\/a> has become \u201cmuch more aggressive\u201d over the past decade in attempts to undermine America on the world stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a Chinese Communist Party<\/a> that has come to view itself as intent upon the destruction of Western ideas, Western democracies [and] Western values,\u201d Mr. Pompeo<\/a> said in an interview with Fox News\u2019 \u201cSunday Morning Futures.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt puts Americans at risk,\u201d the secretary of state said, asserting that the list of actions taken by the government in Beijing is \u201clong, whether it\u2019s stealing American intellectual property, destroying hundreds and millions of jobs here in the United States, or their efforts to put at risk sea lanes in the South China Sea, denying commercial traffic the opportunity to move through, armed encampments in places that China<\/a> has no right to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time,\u201d Mr. Pompeo<\/a> said, \u201cwe have a President of the United States who is prepared to push back against that and protect the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n

He praised Mr. Trump\u2019s announcement Friday that the administration is preparing to impose sanctions on China<\/a> over its announcement of a new state security law aimed at crushing dissent and democracy in Hong Kong. The president made the announcement after the State Department declared that Washington officially assesses that Hong Kong no longer enjoys the legal and economic freedoms China<\/a> promised it would tolerate when Great Britain gave the territory back to Beijing back in 1997.<\/p>\n

The back-and-forth over Hong Kong marked the latest in Washington-Beijing tensions that have risen throughout Mr. Trump\u2019s time in office, underscored by the president\u2019s imposition of tariffs aimed at drawing China<\/a> into a more equitable trade relationship with the United States.<\/p>\n

The tensions have soared in the COVID-19 era, with the Trump administration accusing Beijing of mismanaging and lying about the virus after it originated in China<\/a>. U.S. officials say Beijing has engaged in a disinformation campaign aimed at blaming the virus on Washington in a bid to undermine America\u2019s image around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve become more aggressive in their efforts to do disinformation campaigns like we saw when the coronavirus was moving around the world, when they closed down their own province but allowed travel around the world, infecting hundreds of thousands of people,\u201d Mr. Pompeo<\/a> said Sunday. \u201cWe saw the disinformation of that campaign trying to deflect attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen their increased cyber activity as well, their efforts to be in a position to do true destructive harm in different places all across the world,\u201d the secretary of state said. \u201cThis is a Chinese Communist Party<\/a> that is very aggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n