US VP Mike Pence’s speech, expected to be critical of China, postponed because of ‘progress’ ahead of leaders’ G20 meeting
- The address, scheduled for Monday, would have been delivered just days before Trump and Xi meet in Japan and as hopes rise for progress in the trade war
- Pence has a history of condemning Beijing for its human rights record and militarisation of the South China Sea
An upcoming speech by US Vice-President Mike Pence in which he was expected to criticise China’s human rights record has been postponed because of “progress in conversations” between the two countries’ leaders, the White House said on Friday.
It was anticipated that the address, scheduled for Monday at the Wilson Centre in Washington, would address religious freedoms in China, where more than 1 million Uygurs and other largely Muslim minority groups have been detained in mass internment camps and reportedly subjected to political indoctrination.
“The vice-president’s office is postponing Monday’s speech due to progress in conversations between President [Donald] Trump and President Xi [Jinping],” the White House said in a statement.
The Wilson Centre also confirmed the change.
“There is room for progress, and even if incremental, we didn’t want to step on that potential,” Reuters reported a White House official as saying on condition of anonymity.