BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mike Pompeo on Monday slammed US media for making remarks in Latin America that warned of seeking Chinese investment.
Pompeo was on a tour of Latin America last weekend, where he met with the presidents of Panama and Mexico. "When China comes, it is not always good for your compatriots," Pompeo told reporters during the tour.
Pompeo said the United States welcomed competition from China, but criticized the lack of transparency in its state-owned enterprises and what he described as "vicious economic activity."
He said in remarks he made in Panama that countries should "pay close attention" when it comes to Chinese investments.
"The fact is that China has invested in regions of the world in ways that have made countries worse and this should never be the case."
The Daily China newspaper described Pompeo's comments as "arrogant and antagonistic" and said his criticisms of the China Belt Initiative and the ambitious Chinese infrastructure route were leading to other countries falling into a false debt trap.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is putting forward the plan to expand trade routes along a road connecting Asia, Europe and Africa, injecting credits for road construction, railways and ports into a $ 1 trillion initiative to build infrastructure.
China is keen to involve Latin American countries as well, although this initiative is facing growing criticism, as some countries like Sri Lanka are burdened with debt that they have difficulty repaying.
In a separate op-ed on Monday, the state-owned newspaper Global Times said Pompeo's remarks were "offensive," adding that the United States was trying to "wedge wedge" in the growing ties between China and Latin American countries.
