Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday to discuss how the State Department is handling travel advisories for American citizens during the coronavirus outbreak.

While the focus of most media outlets has zeroed in on Pompeo's reference to COVID-19 as the “Wuhan virus” despite Chinese objections, the entire segment was combative. The CNBC panel consistently framed questions negatively toward the Trump administration's response, while heaping praise on the success of the Chinese communist regime.

At one point, Joe Kernen, one of the co-hosts of Squawk Box, asked Pompeo if it's possible to have the same level of “success here with our civil liberties,” implying coronavirus can only be contained with authoritarian measures, and that Americans should be willing to surrender constitutional rights “that we take for granted.”

The question may as well have been written by Chinese propagandists. Just last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in speaking about measures taken to combat COVID-19, told the Munich Security Conference, “China's speed, scale, and efficiency all reflect the advantage of China's system.” Sound familiar?

Watch the full interview below.

From a State Department transcript: