World likely to see ‘strategic surprise’ in Pacific, says US official, referring to China

The White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator, Kurt Campbell, has said that the world is most likely to see a “strategic surprise” in the Pacific while referring to China’s growing influence in the region.

Speaking at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, Campbell pointed out that the United States has not done enough despite its “enormous moral, strategic, historical interests” in the Pacific.

“If you look and if you ask me, where are the places where we are most likely to see certain kinds of strategic surprise – basing or certain kinds of agreements or arrangements – it may well be in the Pacific,” he told an Australia-focused panel.

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 “And we have a very short amount of time, working with partners like Australia, like New Zealand, like Japan, like France, who have an interest in the Pacific, to step up our game across the board,” Campbell added.

Campbell also said that the Quad initiative between US, Australia, India and Japan and the so-called the AUKUS pact, under which Washington and Britain have agreed to help Australia acquire nuclear submarines, are causing China “heartburn”.

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Some Indo-Pacific countries, many of whom have China as their largest trading partner, have been lamenting on the insufficient. economic engagement from the US following former president Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Biden told Asian leaders in October Washington would launch talks on creating an Indo-Pacific economic framework, but few details have emerged, and his administration has avoided moves towards rejoining trade deals critics say threaten US jobs, reports Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies)