FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 23, 2020
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Secretary Pompeo delivered a speech laying out a more confrontational U.S.-China policy. Defense Priorities Senior Fellow Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis, USA, Ret. issued the following statement in response:
“The confrontational approach laid out in Secretary Pompeo’s speech is likely to accelerate the deterioration of U.S.-China relations. U.S. and Chinese interests sometimes align, sometimes diverge, and sometimes don’t intersect—U.S. policy should reflect that reality. The U.S. should find ways to compete where necessary while preserving the ability to cooperate in areas of mutual concern.
“The closing of China’s consulate in Houston was a diplomatic broadside, but the most likely result will be the closing of a U.S. consulate in China. Taken with increasing U.S. Navy patrols in contested waters near China, sanctioning Chinese leaders, and issuing public demands to a nuclear power about how they must behave, expect more obstinate and retaliatory behavior from China.
“The U.S. should be pressing China on the diplomatic and economic fronts to redress intellectual property rights issues, relying on our existing powerful military deterrent, and encouraging our regional partners to bolster their own defenses via the same anti-access, area denial (A2/AD) strategies adopted by China.
“There is nothing inevitable about U.S.-China conflict, and with realistic policies, we can maintain U.S. security and open more doors to expand our economic prosperity.”
Author
Daniel
Davis
Senior Fellow & Military Expert
Events on China
