US tries to convince China to behave like a normal country

In an interview with Fox News, Mr. Pompeo assessed China's behavior in stealing intellectual property rights as "unsatisfactory" and "inconsistent with its status as a superpower or a world leader."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Photo: AP

“Theft of another country’s intellectual property is something that China is engaging in to make billions of dollars and something that China needs to find a way to end,” Secretary Pompeo said.

In the long term, China is perhaps the biggest national security challenge the United States faces, and the Trump administration is working to counter it “on all fronts,” the top US diplomat said.

“This is a comprehensive effort by the United States government, at the direction of the President, to persuade China to behave like a normal nation when it comes to trade and respect the rules of international law,” Mr. Pompeo added.

Previously, according to an indictment announced by a US court on October 30, Chinese intelligence officers, along with hackers and corporate “insiders” conspired to infiltrate the computer systems of private US businesses to steal information about a turbofan engine used in commercial jetliners.

This is the third major corporate espionage case involving Chinese intelligence officers uncovered by the US Justice Department since last month. The case comes at a time when Washington is embroiled in an escalating trade war with Beijing./.