US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held discussions with his counterparts in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and called on them to coordinate responses to a number of outstanding issues, including China's moves in Hong Kong and the threat posed by Iran, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a readout on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2020) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held discussions with his counterparts in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and called on them to coordinate responses to a number of outstanding issues, including China's moves in Hong Kong and the threat posed by Iran, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a readout on Tuesday.
Ortagus noted that Pompeo spoke with Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Monday.
"They discussed our coordination on responding to urgent global challenges, including the PRC's unilateral and arbitrary decision to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong; Iran's destabilizing activities in Iraq and the middle East; and the need for a transparent accounting into the origins of, and global response to COVID-19," Ortagus said.
The spokesperson said the officials also discussed coordinating efforts to maintain the supply chains for personal protective and other medical equipment during the novel coronavirus pandemic and joint efforts to control the export of sensitive technology.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused China of unfair trade practices, human rights violations and encroaching on the special status of Hong Kong. China has denied the accusations and has pointed to various violations of international law on the part of the United States.
The novel coronavirus pandemic has been an additional cause for discord, with the United States accusing China of withholding information during the early stages of the outbreak and claiming to possess evidence that it originated in a Chinese laboratory. China has denied the accusations.
