Biden picks Asia expert Kurt Campbell for deputy secretary of state

President Joe Biden has chosen Asia affairs advisor Kurt Cambell for Deputy Secretary of State to strengthen relations with Asian countries.

Here are the details of the news.

Joe Biden picks Asia expert Kurt Campbell for deputy secretary of state

On Wednesday, the United States President Joe Biden nominated a top Asian affairs expert, Kurt Campbell, for the position of Deputy Secretary of State.

Campbell, 66, is a diplomat and businessman who has served as deputy assistant to the president and as the National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs since January 20, 2021.

He has been known as the ‘Asia co-ordinator’ or ‘Asia Tsar’ of President Biden’s administration.

As per the information released by the White House, Campbell was earlier founding Chairman and CEO of the Asia Group, LLC, a strategic advisory and capital management group.

He also served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2009 to 2013 under the Obama administration.

The White House said, “Among the other positions he has held during his distinguished career, Campbell served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, White House Fellow at the Treasury Department, and as Director of the Democracy Office at the National Security Council during the Clinton Administration.”

Previously, Campbell served as the CEO and Co-Founder of the Center for a New American Security and also the Director of the Aspen Strategy Group and Editorial Board of the Washington Quarterly Chairman.

Campbell, a multiple awards recipient, including the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award, has authored many books. In one of his most renowned books, ‘The Pivot,’ he summarised his strategy for Asia, which helped him build good relations with countries India and Indonesia amid rising China.

 

Biden’s selection of Cambell can be considered his administration’s effort to build a robust foreign policy with a special focus on Asia and the Indo-Pacific region.

As per the sources, Cambell’s nomination comes two weeks before the President plans to visit the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in San Francisco, where Biden would likely meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The U.S.-China relationship has emerged as one of the world’s most complicated bilateral relationships in recent years. Since 1979, the countries have had tension over many issues, such as trade, climate change and Taiwan.

Although China is a major trading partner for the United States, its developing military capacities challenge the U.S. military.

As an expert in handling U.S. relationships with Asian nations, Cambell can play a crucial role in helping the Biden government to strengthen QUAD (group of United States, Australia, India and Japan) with a special focus on improving the deteriorating strategic relations with China.

Additionally, Biden’s new nominee is expected to shape American foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific region. As such, it is an important step towards maintaining positive relations with advancing Asian countries.

Cambell’s nomination requires the Senate’s approval. If his nomination is confirmed, he would become the second-highest ranking official at the State Department, alongside Richard R. Verma, the former U.S. Ambassador to India serving as the other deputy secretary of state.