Michael Pompeo, the Secretary of State for the United States presented the Budget Request for the fiscal year 2021 before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday. He had requested 41 billion dollars for the State Department and USAID, to protect US citizens, increase American prosperity, and advance the development of Democratic societies. He claimed that this reflected a commitment towards the strategic and efficient use of resources to provide better results for the American people.
Pompeo added that the Trump administration placed its founding principles in the core of American diplomacy. He said that they had done it by securing American people freedoms against authoritarian threats during the pandemic. He went on to say that the administration has also helped their friends across the world to secure their “unalienable rights”. Notably, the State Department’s FY 2021 request for the Global Engagement Centre is double its current level.
He made references to the Iran incident, the Crimea declaration and United States support to Ukraine in his speech. He mentioned how countries like India and its other allies have responded with the same diplomatic strategy as the United States to China, lauding India’s banning of 106 Chinese apps that had posed a threat to national security.
SoS Mike Pompeo minced no words and said that China’s claim for real estate in Bhutan and the incursions in India are indicative of Chinese intentions.
“They are testing, they are probing the world to see if we are going to stand up to their threats and their bullying.” Mr. Pompeo said.
He commented about the reinvigoration of the Quad, saying that these multilateral efforts have caused a crackdown on China’s threats to these countries. He concluded by saying that the proposed budget reflected all of these efforts, and hence, a 20% increase from the 2020 request for foreign assistance to the Indo Pacific region was also included in it.
Pompeo: China's claim for "real estate in Bhutan, the incursions that took place in India, these are indicative of Chinese intentions. And they are testing, they are probing the world to see if we are going to stand up to their threats and their bullying.” https://t.co/u9wMYI7G7P
— Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) July 31, 2020