What’s at the Core?

The author is an op-ed contributor to Beijing Review and a researcher with the Pangoal Institution

In his speech at the Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California, on July 24, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo explained his long-asserted “results-oriented” principle for dealing with China. “President [Ronald] Reagan said that he dealt with the Soviet Union on the basis of ‘trust but verify.’ When it comes to the Communist Party of China, I say we must distrust and verify,” he said.

That statement released a clear signal: The U.S. regards China as a tougher rival than the Soviet Union, and no longer trusts China.

Deliberately choosing that particular venue for his speech, Pompeo was widely interpreted as completely discarding President Richard Nixon’s legacy on behalf of President Donald Trump’s administration. Some Chinese press and many academics even considered his speech as