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US should do more to counter China's actions, No. 2 diplomat says

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday that Washington should do more to counter Chinese actions, including its technique for developing military bases and its pursuit of rareearth minerals in Africa.

Campbell told a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that competition with China was the defining. geopolitical obstacle facing modern-day American diplomacy. and said the U.S. Navy and Air Force required to step up their. games in the Indo-Pacific.

We need to do more, and we need to object to Chinese. actions, not just in terms of their forward basing method, but. their desire to go after Africa's rare earths that will be. vital for our commercial and technological abilities,. Campbell stated.

Campbell stated the distinction in shipbuilding between. China and the U.S. was deeply worrying.

We have to do better in this arena, or we will not be. the great marine power that we require to be for the 21st century,. he stated.

Campbell, who has actually long advocated pivoting U.S. power to. the Indo-Pacific, stated the 20-year U.S. engagement in the Middle. East was largely about ground forces and we made all the. appropriate financial investments, we improved, we innovated.

Now is the Navy and the Air Force's time. They have to. step up. They have to invest more. They need to be more. ingenious, he said.

They have to be more brave, and they have actually got to. comprehend that the Indo-Pacific arena needs the most capable. naval and innovative long-range air capabilities that the United. States has actually ever required before, which's where we have to put. our focus.

Uncommon earths are essential for state-of-the-art applications, consisting of. defense equipment, and for U.S. President Joe Biden's efforts to. energize the auto market to combat environment change.

The U.S. is eager to secure sources beyond China, which in. 2022 accounted for more than 70% of world rare-earth production.

Democratic Senator Chris Coons noted that the U.S. did not. have an ambassador in the little African country of Eswatini, one. of the couple of remaining countries that recognizes Taiwan rather. than Beijing diplomatically.

The location that truly the Chinese are taking it to us is in. global companies, Campbell said.

We need to have the ability to object to there. I do not like going to. a nation in which we take a seat with the leader and we do not have. an ambassador there; hasn't been there for a couple years ... I. do think we must put these folks on the field..

(source: Reuters)