Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Wednesday that China is the “most significant challenge” the United States has ever faced.
“There is a recognition that this is the most significant challenge in our history,” Campbell told the House Foreign Affairs Committee, according to AFP. “Frankly, the Cold War pales in comparison to the multifaceted challenges that China presents.”
Campbell is a long-time China hawk and has been pushing for more of a focus on the Asia Pacific since the Obama administration and is considered the architect of the so-called “Asia pivot.” He was confirmed as the deputy secretary of state back in February and previously served as the top Asia official on President Biden’s National Security Council.
“It’s not just a military challenge; it’s across the board. It is in the Global South. It is in technology. We need to step up our game across the board,” Campbell told the committee. During the hearing, he called for Europe to get tougher on China and join the US in sanctions on Chinese companies.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian was asked to respond to Campbell’s remarks during a daily press conference and said they are “steeped in Cold War and zero-sum mentality.”
“China is committed to carrying out friendly cooperation with all countries in the world, and we do not target any third party when developing normal relations with other countries. By contrast, the US has been strengthening its military alliances, patching up small groupings against China, and coercing other countries to choose sides,” Lin added.
Campbell’s view that Beijing is the top threat facing the US is shared by the Pentagon. In the 2022 National Defense Strategy, the Pentagon declared China the “most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security strategy,” with Russia named the second leading threat.
US military leaders are openly planning for a direct war with China in the future despite the risk of the conflict turning nuclear. This week, the US Navy unveiled a plan to prepare for a direct fight with China by 2027.
