On November 18, 2024, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink spoke at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. The seminar, organized by the Program on U.S.-Japan Relations and co-sponsored by the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, focused on “America’s Future in East Asia.” Mark Wu, Henry L. Stimson Professor of Law and Director of the Fairbank Center, moderated the discussion.
Arriving on campus from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in Peru, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink highlighted that “intense competition requires intense diplomacy” and noted that he “just had the honor of participating in some of that intense diplomacy in Lima.” He described the most recent exchange between U.S. and Chinese officials as “tense,” “very candid,” and “professional.”
Emphasizing that “China’s rise is the challenge of our times,” Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink underscored that “based on much of the work that we’ve done over the last few years, we increasingly approach our competition with China from a position of confidence.” During the seminar, he also discussed recent meetings with U.S. allies and partners in the region, noting that “our allies and partners are reassured by the approach that we’ve taken to China.”
Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink further remarked, “Despite the fact this relationship is mostly competitive, we’re also open to cooperation where our interests align and where our interests dictate that we do so.” As examples, he cited outcomes from the most recent meeting between President Biden and General Secretary Xi, including “additional cooperation on cutting down on the flow of precursor chemicals from China that are used to synthesize fentanyl,” “additional cooperation on law enforcement,” and “a new agreement regarding AI and ensuring that humans remain entirely in control of the command of nuclear weapons.”
Nevertheless, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink stressed, “[W]e should also be very clear-eyed that this is an enormously complex and consequential relationship, and the challenges before us are also quite significant. Just a very short list of the challenges would include maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and in the South China Sea, China’s aggressive support for the Russian defense industrial base which is fueling the Russian war machine in Ukraine, PRC unfair and distortionary trade practices, [and] human rights abuses including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.”