Washington, June 25: The United States is reducing its troop presence in Europe and shifting it to other places to counter the threat from China to India and Southeast Asia, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday. Mike Pompeo made the remarks while responding to a question at the Brussels Forum virtual conference. He was asked why the US had reduced the number of troops in Germany.

"There will be fewer US resources at certain places, they'll be at other places - I just talked about the threat from the Chinese Communist Party - ... threats to India, threats to Vietnam, threats to Malaysia, Indonesia, South China Sea challenges, the Philippines. We are going to make sure we are postured appropriately to counter the PLA (People’s Liberation Army)," Pompeo said. Mike Pompeo Lists Reliance Jio Among Clean Telcos For Rejecting Huawei.

Earlier, the US State Secretary called the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a "rogue actor" and held it responsible for the violent face-off along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh where 20 Indian soldiers were killed and dozens injured earlier this week. He had said that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has "escalated border tensions" in India, the world's most popular - populous democracy.

During the virtual conference, Pompeo said the United States and the European Union need a shared understanding of China to resist it, calling Beijing a threat and accusing it of robbing European know-how to develop its economy. "There is a transatlantic awakening to the truth of what's happening," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2020 11:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).