U.S. should look at its own problems, China says after Pence speech

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence attends a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, October 17, 2019. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir

BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States would do better to look at its own domestic problems like gun violence rather than turning its ire on China, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, lambasting U.S. Vice President Mike Pence for a critical speech on China.

Pence on Thursday accused China of curtailing "rights and liberties" in Hong Kong and blasted U.S. company Nike and the National Basketball Association for falling in line with Beijing in a disagreement over free speech.