Row over Chinese 5G equipment further strains U.S.-German relations
His remarks drew a strong rebuke from the White House's man in Germany, Ambassador Richard Grenell.
"The recent claims by senior German officials that the United States is equivalent to the Chinese Communist Party are an insult to the thousands of American troops who helped ensure Germany's security and the millions of Americans committed to a strong Western alliance," he said in a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. "There is no moral equivalency between China and the United States and anyone suggesting it ignores history – and is bound to repeat it."
To drive his point home, Grenell flagged at least a couple tweets this week to Altmaier's account linking to news articles about China's human rights abuses of Muslim minorities in the country.
He presented himself as a "big fan" of the then-Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, a right-wing conservative politician who espoused a tough stance in favor of limiting immigration to Austria and Europe more broadly.
Grenell dismissed accusations that he was interfering in Germany's internal affairs as "absurd."
"I stand by my comments that we are experiencing an awakening from the silent majority — those who reject the elites & their bubble. Led by Trump," he said in a tweet. Mr. Trump has consistently drawn low approval ratings across Europe, including in Germany and even among backers of the country's right-wing populist party, AfD.
In January of this year, Grenell again angered many in Germany by threatening German companies involved in the development of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline.
"Companies involved in Russian energy exports are taking part in something that could prompt a significant risk of sanctions," he said.
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