On Wednesday, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stated that the challenge posed by the Chinese Communist Party to the United States surpasses that of the Cold War era. He also condemned Beijing for providing support to the Russian defense industry, support that directly comes from the Chinese Communist leadership.
Despite the Biden administration’s clear stance of not seeking a Cold War with China, more and more analysts and members of the US Congress are expressing that the escalating global competition between the US and China resembles a different but new type of Cold War.
At a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Campbell emphasized the need for the US to maintain bipartisan focus on China and to accelerate the pace of US naval shipbuilding and enhance the capabilities of US defense manufacturing bases.
“Frankly, compared to the multifaceted challenges brought by China, the Cold War pales in comparison. This (challenge from the CCP) is not only a military challenge; it is comprehensive, it reaches deeply into the Global South, it reaches deeply into technology,” Campbell said.
The second-ranking diplomat at the US State Department stated that boosting the output of US warships should be a top priority for the next decade.
“This is a naval era,” Campbell said, further adding that increasing the design and construction speed of US naval ships is “the most important thing we need to do in the next decade.”
“The Navy needs to step it up, and we need to step it up with them,” he said.
Campbell also condemned the CCP’s support for the Russian defense industry at the hearing. Earlier this month, he met with NATO and EU officials, providing detailed information to allies about the “substantial support” provided by China to Russian military industrial bases. He mentioned that in exchange, Russia provides submarines and missile technology to China.
Speaking about the CCP’s senior leadership support for Russia, Campbell said, “Most concerning is that this support comes from the highest level (of the CCP).” He added that China has been supporting Russia’s drone activities in Ukraine.
In May of this year, during a visit to Europe, Campbell exposed the true nature of China’s support for Russia. He explicitly stated that China’s efforts to aid Russia are a sustained, comprehensive effort supported by the Chinese Communist leadership aimed at providing all the support behind the scenes to enable Russia to rearm its military forces with capabilities including long-range missiles, drones, battlefield tracking, long-range artillery, and more. This is an effort designed not to be easily detected.