Chinese Ambassador to Chile Xu Bu refuted US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s allegations against China via Chile’s mainstream media on April 14, saying that Pompeo has lost his mind and gone too far.

(Photo/Chinese embassy in Chile)

During his recent visit to Santiago, Pompeo said that China's investment was "corrosive," giving life to corruption, and eroding good governance. He declared that Chinese companies were engaged in espionage and China was not a reliable partner.

“Such accusations are absurd,” Xu noted in an interview with Chile's La Tercera newspaper on April 13. "The economic and trade cooperation between China and Chile has brought tangible benefits to the development of the Chilean economy."

Mr. Pompeo is a hypocrite, said Xu, as the U.S. has not made substantial contributions to the economic development of Latin American countries but attacks China's cooperation with and investment in Latin America.

Last year, China invested more than $6 billion in Chile, and the China-Chile trade volume exceeded $42.8 billion, far more than the figure between Chile and the US, Xu continued.

While speaking of the alleged espionage of Chinese tech giant Huawei, the ambassador said that Pompeo's accusation that Huawei is under the control of the Chinese government is a malicious lie.

The accusation is an attempt to suppress the legitimate operations of high-tech Chinese companies under the guise of security.

"Actually, it is the US that eavesdrops on other countries using high tech companies," he said.

Xu also discussed the situation in Venezuela during the interview, and reaffirmed China's stance not to intervene in other countries’ domestic affairs, noting that it's the Venezuelan people who should decide their own future.

“If the United States cares about democracy and human rights in Latin America, it should immediately stop sanctions against other countries and take measures to promote economic development in Latin America, not just deliver empty promises,” Xu added.

In a signed article in Chile's El Mercurio that was published on April 14, Xu said Pompeo is "completely wrong" in his accusations.

"Pompeo's body has entered the 21st century, but his mind is still in the 20th century, fixated on hegemony with a cold war mentality," Xu said.

He urged the US Secretary of State to realize that relations between countries will only last if they are based on mutual respect and cooperation.