Nick Schifrin:
For a perspective on today’s parade in Beijing and the gathering of leaders from Russia, North Korea, Iran, and others over the past few days in China, we turn to Kurt Campbell, the former deputy secretary of state, who was the chief architect of the Biden administration’s policy toward Asia.
Kurt Campbell, thanks very much. Welcome back to the “News Hour.”
Let me start with the — where we ended our story, which was Prime Minister Modi embracing the Shanghai Coordination Organization, really one of the tools that Xi Jinping is using to try and counter us influence around the world.
How much of a challenge is it to the U.S. when leaders from all over the world fly to China and embrace that kind of vision?
Kurt Campbell, Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State: Look, it’s a big deal.
It’s undeniably a major stroke on the part of the Chinese leadership. And it’s not just that India and a couple of other states are there, but a number of key countries in the Global South, what we would call the swing states of the 21st century, were in attendance as well.
I’m most concerned, though, about India. I think all of us who’ve played a role in building this relationship are in shock and concerned by what we have seen in terms of the substantial degradation in relations in just a couple of weeks. And Modi is sending a very clear message to the United States: I have other options.
