The Trump administration is taking aim at China on this Thursday. It's criticizing Beijing far beyond trade. US Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech to a conservative audience in Washington. He accused China of meddling in US elections and being aggressive militarily, among other claims. CGTN White House correspondent Nathan King has details.

It's not just a trade war anymore -this speech- nothing short of an all-out critique of China.

MIKE PENCE US VICE PRESIDENT "Over the past 17 years, China's GDP has grown 9-fold; it has become the second-largest economy in the world. Much of this success was driven by American investment in China. And the Chinese Communist Party has also used an arsenal of policies inconsistent with free and fair trade, including tariffs, quotas, currency manipulation, forced technology transfer, intellectual property theft, and industrial subsidies doled out like candy, to name a few. These policies have built Beijing's manufacturing base, at the expense of its competitors - especially America."

The US vice president also went after China's actions in the South China Sea - and its so-called "debt diplomacy" in Africa and Asia.

While reiterating Washington's adherence to the One China Policy, Pence called out Beijing for convincing three Latin American nations to recognize Beijing as the legitimate and sole government of China, not Taipei.

As to allegations of election meddling, unlike the charges against Russia, there was no detailed case provided by U.S. intelligence agencies.

MIKE PENCE US VICE PRESIDENT "China is targeting U.S. state and local governments and officials to exploit any divisions between federal and local levels on policy. It's using wedge issues, like trade tariffs, to advance Beijing's political influence." "As a senior career member of our intelligence community recently told me, what the Russians are doing pales in comparison to what China is doing across this country."

Pence did single out a four-page advertisement placed in an Iowa newspaper, the Des Moines Register. The supplement, clearly labelled as being paid for by China Daily, an English language Chinese newspaper, contained features discussing opposition to US trade policy regarding tariffs. Many other countries including U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia, Israel and others have used similar techniques while lobbying U.S. public opinion.

Before Pence's speech, China's ambassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai, gave an interview to U.S. National Public Radio, saying in part:

Cui Tiankai- Chinese Ambassador to the United States

"Our two countries together with other countries are faced with so many common challenges, the so-called global challenges or global issues, and no country can really handle all these things all by itself. We have to cooperate whether we like it or not. This is a growing mutual need and a common interest."

NATHAN KING WASHINGTON "The US vice president's speech dispels any doubt that the White House is taking a much more aggressive stance towards China, not just over trade but in all areas; militarily, diplomatically and culturally. Nathan King, CGTN, Washington."