WASHINGTON — China's assertive diplomacy in recent years has “backfired” and Beijing now seeks a more predictable relationship with the U.S. as the country's economy slows and the government tries to loosen its strict COVID-19 curbs, the Biden administration's top Asia official said.
Elements of China's aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy have clearly been unsuccessful, while efforts to challenge Japan over islands in the East China Sea and engage in military confrontations with India in Himalayas have hurt Beijing's standing in the world, said Kurt Campbell, who is the White House coordinator for the Indo-Pacific.
“They've taken on and challenged many countries simultaneously — whether it's, you know, Japanese waters around the Senkakus, issues associated with India's border areas, other exploits that suggest perhaps a more ambitious China,” Campbell said at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington on Thursday. “I think they recognize that that has, in many respects, backfired.”
Campbell's comments are some of his most detailed since Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden met on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November. He said that Washington and Beijing want to stabilize ties, especially with the two countries' militaries operating in close proximity in Asia.
“As our forces rub up against one another, we want a greater degree of…
