'China targeting US governors to sway policies in their favour': Ex US Secy Mike Pompeo

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that the Chinese Communist Party is conducting aggressive influence and intelligence operations inside the United States, aimed at federal, state, and local governments, according to local media reports. During his 1,000 days as Secretary of State under former President Donald Trump, he declassified an intelligence report that revealed how Beijing was targeting state governors in an attempt to sway their policies in favour of China, The Washington Times reported. Pompeo recalled warning a group of about 40 US governors in February 2020 that China was pursuing influence and money through state and local governments.

Pompeo said during a speech in California on Saturday, October 16, "When I say it’s not a long way off, it means it is here inside the United States of America today."

The former US Secretary stated that the governors at the meeting were more concerned with state issues and less concerned with the foreign policy until they were informed that "the Chinese Communist Party wants you," The Washington Times reported. 

China carrying out 'systematic Campaign' to repress Uyghurs: ASPI Report

Multiple Chinese government entities were involved in a repression campaign against Uyghurs in Xinjiang province, according to a recent report published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). An 82-page research report reveals the Chinese government's "systematic campaign" to suppress Uyghur culture, identity, and populations. It's the most recent addition to a growing body of evidence demonstrating widespread human rights violations in the Uyghur region. The study is based on previously unreleased data and local language sources, including police records and budget documents, scraped from Chinese government websites.

Since the first reports of mass Uyghur detention in 2017, a significant amount of literature has been published exposing the ongoing human rights violations in Xinjiang. According to the report, little is known about the government's operations or the true perpetrators of these now-famous atrocities, with only a few companies or individuals identified as being involved. However, the report emphasises Xinjiang's crackdown as a whole-of-government and whole-of-society effort, citing a staggering number of offices and officials involved in the repressive measures. They include obscure entities such as the Forestry Bureau, which for a year oversaw the accounts of Kashgar City's re-education camps.

(With inputs from agencies, Image: AP)