WASHINGTON _ Secretary of State Michael Pompeo delivered a tough warning about China in a speech to U.S. governors on Saturday, urging caution in business dealings there as Beijing looks for ways to exploit U.S. vulnerabilities at all levels.
"I'm asking you to adopt a cautious mindset," Pompeo said in a speech to the bipartisan National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington. "In the words of President Reagan, when you are approached for introduction or a connection to a deal, 'trust but verify.'"
A government-backed think tank in China has assessed governors of all U.S. states as friendly, hard-line or ambiguous toward it, Pompeo said.
Saturday's speech followed shortly after Pompeo took a "beware of China" message to Europe and Central Asia on a recent trip.
China's Communist Party is "the central threat of our times," Pompeo said in London on Jan. 30.
