US suspends exchange programs with China, calling them ‘propaganda’

FILE PHOTO: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a media briefing at the State Department in Washington, U.S., November 10, 2020. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON — The US State Department said late Wednesday it has terminated five cultural exchange programs with China, calling them “soft power propaganda tools.”

“While other programs funded under the auspices of the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act are mutually beneficial, the five programs in question are fully funded and operated by the (Chinese) government as soft power propaganda tools,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.

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