The State Department on Friday announced a new office to coordinate China policy, known as “China House,” in the Biden administration’s latest effort to focus on Beijing.
In a press release, the State Department said the new office is meant to help the US government “responsibly manage” competition with China and advance the US vision “for an open, inclusive international system.”
The State Department’s language reflects the Biden administration’s view that tensions will China will not ease and that the relationship moving forward is about “managing” those tensions rather than working to resolve major issues.
The Department said in the release that China House was part of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s “modernization policy” to meet the “challenges” of the decades ahead. It reaffirmed that China is the administration’s top foreign policy priority by labeling Beijing the “most complex and consequential geopolitical challenge we face.”
The Department said that China House will bring together “a group of China experts from throughout the Department and beyond it to work shoulder to shoulder” on issues related to Beijing.
Other federal agencies have also opened new offices to focus on Beijing, including the CIA, which opened a China center last year. At the very beginning of the Biden administration, the National Security Council restructured to shift its focus away from conflicts in the Middle East toward countering China in the Asia Pacific.
Administration says “China is…the top foreign policy priority..labeling Beijing the “most complex and consequential geopolitical challenge we face.” ”
Perhaps the underlying preoccupation with China is partly responsible for the sophomore, one-dimensional, $$$-driven (ind/mil complex/lobbyists) response to Ukraine. Not seen as fundamentally important, therefore, response is driven by those who do see it as important ($$$$).
“The Department said that China House will bring together “a group of China experts from throughout the Department and beyond it to work shoulder to shoulder” on issues related to Beijing.”
So, they will bring a bunch of China hawks together to build an echo chamber full of China hawks, JUST like Congress! Where are the realists and anti-interventionists? I can’t wait for even more tariffs to make inflation worse, more empty promises to “bring manufacturing back the US,” and more chance for us to all perish in a nuclear pit over Taiwan.
There is nothing to focus in in Middle East. It is lost. Israel is clearly concerned. But besides spoiler role in Iraq and in Syria’s border, there is really no more desire by Biden administration to try to exert more influence — a measure to save resources for a larger challenge. It is an interesting decision. But perhaps not unusual. With Europe entirelly under its control — there is no danger of China extendingvits business there. But there is a danger of a different and more lasting effect with both China and Russia making serious commercial and military inroads soreading from Middke Wast to Egypt, East Africa — Eritrea and Ethiopia, North Africa and now Central and Western Africa where France is pulling out. Europe will stagnate. With German industry seriously curtailed, not much economic activity or any kind of initiative would entice others to invest there.
Ukraine is takungva toll on Europe — as planned. But otvis takungvits toll on US as well.
With France and Germany el withdrawing from the workd scene, US will be left without any
depth. The Chinese led ME transformation demonstrates it.
He clearly prioritizes military issues over domestic ones. Kind of Libertarian in a way – he kept Bernie and the Squad from much government spending in domestic affairs, and has emphasized protecting US values throughout the world.
Sorry, but all I can muster is a laugh. The pretentiousness of the stentorian in charge of the dept. of state resembles the laughable exemplar of a high school student who played but never scored. Now, he’s finally gotten his revenge, bathing in diminished light cast by dementia.