In the wake of the May 25 death of Floyd while in the custody of a Minneapolis police officer who has been charged with his murder, China has accused the U.S. of a "double standard" by supporting anti-China protests in Hong Kong and criticizing China's record on human rights when anti-racism protests rage throughout the U.S.
Chinese media have given attention to the protests, airing images of the chaos, looting and rioting, in a similar manner the US media was reporting the protests turn to riots in Hong Kong.
Both sides have trolled each other in social media.
When State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus tweeted support May 30 for the Hong Kong people, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responded with Floyd's dying words: "I can't breathe."
U.S. adversaries of Iran, Russia and China have all voiced their opinion over Floyd's death and used social media as a channel.
The Chinese deputy foreign minister noted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for calling the Hong Kong demonstrations last year a "beautiful sight" by retweeting comments: "I want to ask Speaker Pelosi and Secretary Pompeo: Should Beijing support protests in the US, like you glorified rioters in Hong Kong?"
Pompeo said the contrast between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) "could not be more stark", while outlining several examples of how the CCP has sent journalists to prison, abused protesters, muzzled doctors warning of the coronavirus and imprisoned Muslims in re-education camps.
Pompeo's statement further highlights certain 'double standards' that China is accusing the US of.
The US is in all media quietness seeking deportation of a journalist who reported US war crimes – with concrete evidence – to face closed doors trial in the US. Observing how the US is treating their protestors in the on-going country wide protests, such as the 74-year-old man, who was knocked over by police, or how President Trump ordered a travel ban for Muslims and other countries 'just because'; it would certainly seem that US is not acting any different regarding the matters that Pompeo is accusing the Chinese.
"As with dictatorships throughout history, no lie is too obscene, so long as it serves the Party’s lust for power," Pompeo said. A statement that somehow resonates to all superpowers in the world, 'democratic' or not.