Published: 7:09pm, 24 Apr 2025Updated: 7:52pm, 24 Apr 2025
A former high-ranking US official on a trip to Hong Kong has accused the Trump administration of miscalculating China’s power and called on the United States to open up communications amid escalating trade tensions.
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Kurt Campbell, former US deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration, told a conference hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham) on Thursday that the incumbent government lacked a clear, unified policy platform on China, marked by internal divisions between hardliners and some advocating for working more constructively.
“Our biggest risks are inadvertence and miscalculation, whether militarily or in the trade agreement, which suddenly begins to escalate, and there are not appropriate lines of communications or channels that can mediate some of those interactions,” he said.
Campbell’s visit to Hong Kong was his first overseas trip since leaving the White House in January. In February, he rejoined the Washington-based strategic advisory firm he co-founded, the Asia Group, as its chairman.
Campbell’s recent analyses in US media have emphasised the importance of American alliances and cautioned against underestimating China’s power.
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On Thursday, he delivered a speech at the AmCham China Conference 2025, discussing the evolving business landscape between the two superpowers amid the ongoing geopolitical turbulence.
Campbell said before the Trump administration, Washington had a platform to reach a consensus on a range of issues, including military policy, views on China and how to conduct itself on the global stage.