Mike Pompeo gets Italian promise on 5G security but doesn’t convince Vatican on bishops deal with China
- ‘The Chinese Communist Party is trying to exploit its presence in Italy for its own strategic purposes,’ US secretary of state says in Rome
- Pope Francis’ top diplomat expresses surprise at US attempts to intervene in talks on renewing agreement on Catholic bishops in China
Washington has made inroads in persuading European countries to curb China’s 5G technology, with Italy promising to heed to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s concerns about national security, and a Pompeo deputy praising Germany for plans to introduce a tough screening mechanism.
Amid strong pressure from Washington, Britain and France have already decided to phase out the use of equipment from Huawei Technologies, dealing a blow to the European game plan for the Chinese telecoms giant.
But on his trip to Europe, Pompeo was less successful in lobbying the Vatican not to renew a key agreement with Beijing authorities, with Pope Francis’ top diplomat saying he was “surprised” by the intervention.
Pompeo’s third European tour in three months comes after China dispatched two top diplomats to visit seven European countries, as Europe increasingly finds itself a major battleground in the escalating US-China rivalry.
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US State Secretary Mike Pompeo urges Vatican to reject China's human rights abuses
“In my discussion with Prime Minister [Giuseppe] Conte, I asked him to pay attention to the privacy of his citizens,” Pompeo said during a joint press conference with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.