The White House’s top official for Asia said Tuesday that he believes the US and China can live in peace but warned there will be “enormously difficult” challenges facing the relationship.
“Do I think it’s possible that the United States and China can coexist and live in peace? Yes I do. But I do think the challenge is enormously difficult for this generation and the next,” Kurt Campbell, the head of Indo-Pacific affairs on the National Security Council, told the Asia Society think tank.
China has been identified as the top foreign policy priority of the Biden administration. Campbell said to counter China, the administration will put regional focus on the Indo-Pacific.
“You’ll see this movement from the Middle East, and it will be painful, in all likelihood. We’ll see some real challenges in places like Afghanistan, but a much greater focus on the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Campbell said the US will “step up our game substantially” in Southeast Asia to advance US interests. Boosting ties is tricky for the US in Southeast Asia since most countries do not want to take Washington’s side over Beijing, their regional neighbor. Campbell touted “vaccine diplomacy” as one way to strengthen relationships with Southeast Asian countries.
“We’ve taken it on board with our own vaccine programs, but also working with the Quad. We are deeply engaged to ensure that we will provide vaccines in 2022 to Southeast Asia and the Pacific. We think this is the most important contribution that we can make in the next little while,” he said.
The Quad is an informal alliance whose members are the US, Japan, Australia, and India. The group is seen as a possible foundation for a NATO-style anti-China alliance in Asia. President Biden held the first summit between the Quad leaders virtually in March. Campbell said Biden will host the Quad leaders in Washington for an in-person summit later this year.
But our treasury will be happy to sell its bonds to China.
Hah…No one is really buying treasury bonds anymore; your thinking represents the old banking system. The new system is quantitative easing; the government sells debt, the government buys that very same debt
Well — this is a problem, As far as I know, Treasuries were not selling since March 2020. As there was high demand on dollars to deal with stock market losses, and treasuries ran in trouble in distressed market.
But as far as I know, with foreigners not buying our debt. So government is selling and buying own debt.
How long can this continue? Who knows. But not forever.
Interesting and transparent— China can be a friend for a price and reward. Can imagine what it is.
Russia on the other hand cannot be made useful, and will never give up independence. Thus — price for China is to turn a blind eye on West squeezing Russia. Russia in the meantime will be kept under tight control, its neighborhood destabilized.
That would be a massive leap of faith for China to accept any such arrangement. Is the threat to Chinese economy such that some accommodation may be sought? Not realistically, no. China’s global presence cannot be contained.
More importantly, Russia and China are coordinating policies and technologies. It is evident from Mediterranean to Central Asia in particular.
When we expand “the qaud” will we keep changing its name? Like “the quint” or “the sextuple”? Giving nasty alliances these cute little names makes for an easier sell.
More “generation wars.” This is how the Forever Wars were described.