U.S. mistrust of China goes as far back as the 1950s, when national authorities set unrealistic production quotas that led local officials to inflate data.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNBC that if the U.S. was concerned about the rise of China then it was "even more important to maintain NATO to keep your friends and allies close."
Pompeo's remarks come a day after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier took an indirect swipe at President Donald Trump's "America First" campaign.
Germany's president kicked off the annual Munich Security Conference on Friday by taking a swipe at President Trump's "America First" foreign policy approach.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday warned of Chinese telecom giant Huawei's "insidious aggression" and called on other nations to work with the U.S. as the globe races to develop 5G networks.
More than 500 global leaders will gather in Germany over the weekend to discuss everything from the development of 5G networks to nuclear weapons to the recent coronavirus outbreak.
Automakers working to restart manufacturing in China amid the coronavirus outbreak are trying to prevent operations elsewhere from being affected by supply shortages.
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