In early October, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivered a remarkable broadside against China — one that could be remembered as an inflection point in the world's most consequential bilateral relationship. Asian capitals, including Tokyo, had better take a close look at it.
Speaking at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, Pence slammed China with a laundry list of grievances: Beijing's militarization of the South China Sea, intellectual property theft, engaging in economic statecraft with neighboring countries, persecuting religious groups at home, the creation of a nationwide surveillance system, pressuring Hollywood to produce pro-China movies, meddling in the U.S. midterm elections — the list goes on.
For sure, Pence made a passing reference to U.S. President Donald Trump's vision for "America and China reaching out to one another in a spirit of openness and friendship." But overall, the vice president's speech is widely regarded as the toughest rhetoric against China's "whole-of-government approach" that is eroding America's interests and way of life.