

Pence will deliver an 11am (1500 GMT) address at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington likely to increase tensions between the United States and China beyond trade disputes that have dominated President Donald Trump’s time in office.


Pence will say a Chinese naval vessel came within 45 yards (metres) of the USS Decatur “as it conducted freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea, forcing our ship to quickly maneuver to avoid collision.”




Pence will also accuse the Chinese Communist Party of convincing three Latin American nations to sever ties with Taiwan and recognize China.









He will also say that Beijing has extended a lifeline to “the corrupt and incompetent Maduro regime in Venezuela,” pledging $5 billion in loans that can be repaid with oil.


“It’s using wedge issues, like trade tariffs, to advance Beijing’s political influence,” he will say.

The goal, he is to say, is to shift Americans’ perception of Chinese policies by mobilizing “covert actors, front groups, and propaganda outlets.”


Pence will also argue that Chinese officials have tried to influence business leaders to condemn US trade actions, “leveraging their desire to maintain their operations in China.”

“In one recent example, they threatened to deny a business license for a major US corporation if it refused to speak out against our administration’s policies,” Pence will say.

The corporation is not named in the speech excerpts.

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