Washington (AFP)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday warned Silicon Valley companies, the birthplace of tech giants, about the risks they face doing business with China before a trade deal was signed between Washington and Beijing.
"I am not here to ask you to leave China. In fact, it is quite the opposite: we want American companies to get rich by doing business there, to create jobs here in America ", he launched in San Francisco, California, before the Silicon Valley Leadership Group which brings together more than 350 companies.
"At the same time, we must make sure that our companies do not conclude contracts which strengthen the army of our rival or favor its repression in certain parts of this country," he added. "We must make sure that American technology does not fuel a truly Orwellian surveillance state," he added, adding that "American principles" should not be "sacrificed on the altar of prosperity".
He urged American companies to ask "just a few questions": "Whom do I have to deal with? What is the real relationship between the risks involved and the expected benefits of doing business in China?"
Donald Trump's administration accuses Beijing of dishonest business practices, theft of intellectual property, and of wanting to use technology to extend its grip on certain regions of the world or to strengthen the repression in China, in particular against Uighur Muslims.
These accusations are at the heart of the trade showdown with China, the first act of which concludes Wednesday with the signing of the first phase of a bilateral agreement.
"President Trump has taken steps to deal with China's predatory economic practices, he demands respect and reciprocity," said Pompeo, adding that the government was "doing its part."
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