US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday he would open a dialogue with the European Union on China and voiced hope it would lead to tougher action.

Pompeo said he had accepted a proposal for a dedicated channel on China policy with the 27-nation bloc as recommended by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell during virtual talks with Pompeo on June 15.

"I'm very hopeful that I'll be able to travel to Europe here in just a handful of weeks to go kick that off," Pompeo, known for his hawkish views on China, told a forum of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Pompeo acknowledged divergent views on China within the EU, where some nations have developed strong trading links with the Asian power, but hoped the dialogue could serve as a "catalyst for action."

"Once we're confident that we have a shared understanding of the threat that is posed by the Chinese Communist Party, then we can begin to take action," Pompeo told the think tank's Brussels Forum, held virtually due to the coronavirus.

"We will work to make sure we have a shared set of facts and then create a set of proposals for things that we can do together."

Pompeo has sought with limited success to press other nations to shun Chinese telecom giant Huawei, warning that it poses risks to national security and personal privacy.

President Donald Trump's top diplomat has also been at the forefront of promoting a theory, discounted by mainstream scientists, that the virus behind COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory.

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With ties in the balance, EU and China hold tense summit
Brussels (AFP) June 22, 2020
China's leaders and senior EU officials held a video summit Monday with tensions rising over new tariffs targeting Chinese firms and European disquiet at Beijing's assertiveness on the world stage. The heads of the EU's main institutions began talks on the coronavirus with top Chinese leaders, after Brussels infuriated Beijing by accusing it of a campaign of disinformation around the pandemic. European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen began the s ... read more