N. Korea slams Pompeo for saying China poses threat

SEOUL, June 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday over his recent remarks calling for safeguarding Western values from Chinese threats, denouncing the appeal as "nonsense" and "rubbish."

In an interview with Fox News on Sunday (local time), Pompeo repeatedly described China's ruling Communist Party as "aggressive" and as an "authoritarian" regime that "views itself as intent upon the destruction of Western ideas, Western democracies and Western values."

On Thursday, the spokesperson for the international affairs department of the North's ruling Workers' Party denounced Pompeo's remarks. It was the first time that the department has issued a statement of its own since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took power.

The statement came amid intensifying tensions between the United States and China.

"It is not the first time that he said nonsense about China over the issues of Hong Kong, Taiwan, human rights and trade disputes. What should not be overlooked here is that he slandered the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) over socialism," the spokesperson said.

"Saying that threat from China stems from the idea of the Communist Party, he reeled off rubbish that the U.S. would work with its partners in the West to make the world of the next century the one of the West where the U.S. 'liberal democracy' rules," he added.

The spokesperson then warned the U.S. against having "such a pipe dream of undermining the Communist Party and socialism."

The international affairs department leads the ruling party's diplomatic affairs with socialist countries and is central to maintaining relations with China.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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