Biden Assembling Asia Experts for Foreign Policy Team

President Joe Biden is assembling a team of "old China hands" as he prepares to confront the huge challenge presented by China and its aggressive foreign policy currently launching "gray-zone operations" against U.S. allies in Asia as a substitute for war.

Biden is putting together a foreign policy team consisting of old China hands, or experts on China, along with experts in Asian affairs. The importance Biden places on boosting U.S. influence in the Indo-Pacific while diminishing China's can be seen in his appointment of long-time China critic Kurt Campbell as the National Security Council’s Indo-Pacific affairs coordinator, otherwise called the "China czar."

Campbell's appointment sends a strong signal to America’s Asian allies the Biden administration will take a hard line against China in lockstep with its allies.

Campbell formerly served as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs under the Obama administration. He was one of the architects of Obama's "Pivot to Asia," or East Asia Strategy.

This strategy called for strengthening bilateral security alliances; deepening America's working relationships with emerging powers (including China) and advancing democracy and human rights, among others.

As Indo-Pacific coordinator, Campbell will have broad management over NSC directorates responsible for China-related issues and parts of Asia. He's expected to adapt the Pivot to Asia strategy to deal with the new strategic situation created by ex-president Donald Trump's confrontational strategic competition against China.

Campbell reports directly to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, a close friend whom he worked with at the Department of State during the Clinton administration. Sullivan is a China hawk like Sullivan.

The Biden administration asserts the strategic competition against China is one of its greatest foreign policy challenges. It's kept emphasizing it will take action against China in concert with its Asian and global allies

Along with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Campbell and Sullivan will play major roles in crafting the Biden administration's policy towards China.

“China policy in 2021 I think is actually going to be about ally policy,” said Scott Kennedy, senior advisor and Trustee Chair in Chinese business and economics at Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“So I think we’re gonna see Secretary of State Antony Blinken ... national security advisor Sullivan and Kurt Campbell spend much of their time not directly engaging China, but engaging allies in Asia and Europe on China,” he said.

CNS Shandong (CV-17)

The Biden administration is expected to focus its attention in countering China's relentless gray-zone operations against Japan and the Republic of China or Taiwan by ramping-up its freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.

Gray zone operations, which are a favorite tool of both China and Russia, include  the ambiguous use of unconventional force, election meddling and economic coercion, among others. They're a step below an outright shooting war, but present a severe challenge to U.S. efforts to pursue its interests nonetheless.

China's gray-zone ops against Japan and China consists of sending its warplanes and warships close to or into the territorial waters or air defense identification zones of both countries.

Japan and Taiwan are forced to respond to China's incursions by deploying naval and air force units. This constant state of interceptions wears-down military personnel and equipment of both U.S. allies, increasing their vulnerability in the event of an actual Chinese attack.

Biden SecDef Nominee Says China a Greater Threat than Russia

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, President Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Defense, affirms China remains the most dangerous strategic threat facing the United States.

Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his nomination hearing, Austin emphasized his focus as defense secretary will be on the threat posed by China. He believes China is the “pacing threat” confronting the U.S.

“Clearly the strategy will be arrayed against the threat and China presents the most significant threat going forward because China is ascending," said Austin.

"Russia is also a threat, but it’s in decline. It can still do a great deal of damage as we’ve seen here in recent days. And it’s a country that we have to maintain some degree of focus on, but China is the pacing threat.”

Austin told the senators the U.S. military maintains a qualitative edge over China. That advantage, however, is diminishing and must be remedied.

“We’ll have to have capabilities that allow us to hold – to present a credible threat, a credible deterrent, excuse me - to China in the future," Austin pointed out.

"We’ll have to make some strides in the use of quantum computing, the use of AI, the advent of connected battlefields, the space-based platforms. Those kinds of things I think can give us the types of capabilities that we’ll need to be able to hold large pieces of Chinese military inventory at risk."

Austin strongly believes the U.S. military retains a qualitative and competitive edge over China.

He also said he intends to revisit the Trump administration's 2021 National Defense Strategy that ranks China as the top threat to the U.S. The NDS lists the five greatest dangers to U.S. national security as China, Russia, North Korea, Iran and global terrorism.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

"These are the same threats that Secretary Ash Carter described at the end of the Obama administration, but the order has changed," said the 2018 NDS.

"Whereas Carter had put Russia first, the Trump administration puts China first. Further, the administration’s strategy places greater emphasis on China and Russia than the other three threats."

The document describes China as a strategic competitor using predatory economics to intimidate its neighbors while militarizing features in the South China Sea.

“I think much of the document is absolutely on track for today’s challenges, Mr. Chairman," said Austin in response to a question from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK).

"As is the case with all strategies — if confirmed — one of the things that I would look to do is to work to update the strategy and work within the confines of the guidance and the policy issued by the next administration."

Anthony Blinken, Biden's nominee for Secretary of State, said much the same thing during his nomination confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.

He said both confrontation and competition with China must be approached from "a position of strength, not a position of weakness." He asserted the U.S. has the means to confront China and these are "fully within our control." (Jan. 21, 2021)