The US Senate voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to nominate Kurt Campbell, a veteran Asian diplomat and top national security adviser to President Joe Biden, as deputy secretary of state, who is the second largest post in the State Department.
The Senate voted 92-5 to confirm the nomination of Mr. Campbell, currently coordinator of Indo-Pacific affairs on the National Security Council. He previously founded and led the Asia Group, a strategy consulting and capital management group.
Mr. Campbell’s selection for this position reflects the importance of the U.S.-China relationship. China represents a major diplomatic challenge for the United States, which wishes to counter the growth of its army without provoking conflict and to curb what Washington considers unfair trade practices on the part of this country, while avoiding an all-out trade war.
Mr. Campbell, 66, is considered the intellectual author of then-President Barack Obama’s “pivot to Asia” strategy, a rebalancing of resources toward the region that is praised but remains limited so far.
He outlined his approach to Asia in a 2016 book, The Pivot, which advocates strengthening existing alliances and establishing closer relationships with countries like India and Indonesia in the face of the rise of China.
This article is originally published on zonebourse.com
