The U.S. cannot confront China alone, former Deputy Secretary of State warns

The U.S. cannot confront China alone, former Deputy Secretary of State warns
by Thomas Maresca
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 23, 2025

The United States must strengthen its alliances with global partners, particularly South Korea and Japan, to face the rising challenge posed by China, the former chief architect of White House strategy on Asia said Wednesday.

Kurt Campbell, National Security Council coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs under the administration of President Joe Biden, made the remarks in a keynote address at the Asan Plenum, a forum in Seoul hosted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.

Campbell, who also served as Deputy Secretary of State, warned that the "America First" foreign policy favored by President Donald Trump is a "recipe for failure" when confronting an empowered China.

The isolationist faction in Washington "argues that it is better for the United States to think about itself, largely alone, putting its own interests above others," Campbell said.

"That's often referred to as 'America First,' but if you're not careful, it will turn into America alone," he said. "There are going to be some who say we're going to do this by ourselves. That is a recipe for failure."

Washington and Beijing are locked in a global competition across a number of arenas from technology to trade to military prowess. In a testimony before the House Armed Services Committee earlier this month, the leader of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command cautioned that Beijing is outproducing the United States in air, maritime and missile capacity and is accelerating its space capabilities.

"[China's] unprecedented military modernization encompassing advancements in artificial intelligence, [hypersonic missiles], space-based capabilities, among others, poses a real and serious threat to our homeland, to our allies and to our partners," Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo said.

In his address Wednesday, Campbell said that the United States once had the industrial and technological capacity to handle any challenges on the global stage, but China's threat is unprecedented -- and underestimated in Washington.

"[China has] made remarkable investments technologically, in terms of manufacturing, robots, shipbuilding, the largest warfare buildup in history," Campbell said.

"I will posit to you that the United States cannot take on this challenge alone," he said. "The only way forward is to double down and work much more closely with allies and partners to take on these challenges."

South Korea will play a central role, Campbell said, and can partner with the United States in crucial areas such as shipbuilding, part of a maritime industry that the White House is seeking to revive.

"The ROK has the ability to assist a largely moribund effort in the United States," he said, using South Korea's official acronym. "It is the ROK that can help us, that can work with us in very productive partnerships."

South Korea is the world's second-largest shipbuilder after China, and trade officials in Seoul are hoping cooperation will be a key negotiating tool in addressing 25% tariffs on exports that the Trump administration has said it plans to impose.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul also mentioned joint economic activities such as shipbuilding and liquid natural gas projects in his introductory remarks at the Asan Plenum, saying they would form part of a "win-win cooperation" with the United States.

Under the Biden administration, Washington strengthened its trilateral relationship with Seoul and Tokyo, highlighted by an August 2023 Camp David summit with former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and former Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Campbell, who was instrumental in facilitating the summit, said that the trilateral alliance is "of central importance" and that Washington should involve South Korea and Japan more deeply in decision-making around military and nuclear use as it did with Europe during the Cold War.

"If we can work together strategically, militarily, politically, it will have a profound impact on peace and stability in Northeast Asia and it will be a strong deterrent for provocations from a number of countries, including North Korea and China," Campbell said.

"Behind closed doors, the Chinese regard the American ability to work with partners and allies as our most significant ticket to the big game," Campbell added. "Our ability to convene and engage frankly causes some pause in Beijing, and it will be something we need to sustain going forward."