Reuters-US names veteran diplomat Mark Lambert as top China policy official
September 29, 2023 2 min 374 words
马克·兰伯特被任命为美国中国政策的高级官员，这一决定表明了拜登政府对中美关系的重视。兰伯特是一位经验丰富的外交家，曾多次在北京大使馆工作，担任副助理国务卿，专注于东亚事务。此次他将领导“中国协调办公室”，旨在统一各地区和议题上的中国政策。 尽管这一任命不太可能改变华盛顿的中国政策基调，但却为一个本已复杂的决策过程注入了新的活力。兰伯特的经验和对国际体系完整性的关注将有助于制定与盟友和伙伴国家协调的政策。不过，此前“中国协调办公室”在运作过程中曾受到批评，认为增加了官僚层级。 美中关系在台湾、贸易、芬太尼和人权等问题上存在分歧。华盛顿一直试图通过派遣高级内阁成员前往北京，以保持沟通渠道的开放，预计可能在今年晚些时候举行拜登总统和习近平国家主席的会晤。尽管存在一些运作问题，但美国国务院表示“中国协调办公室”是最高效的团队之一，这表明拜登政府对加强对华政策的重视。 总之，兰伯特的任命是一个重要信号，显示了美国对中美关系的重要性，并表明拜登政府希望在与中国的复杂议题上制定协调一致的政策。然而，关键仍在于执行和实际政策的推动，需要在维护美国利益的同时，维护国际体系的稳定。
President Joe Biden's administration on Friday named veteran diplomat Mark Lambert as its top China policy official, at a time of tense relations over issues including Taiwan, trade and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Lambert will be deputy assistant secretary for China and Taiwan, and will head the Office of China Coordination, informally known as China House. That team was created late last year to unify China policies across regions and issues.
On Aug. 29, Reuters was first to report on plans to appoint Lambert.
An Asia expert who did two stints at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, Lambert most recently served as a deputy assistant secretary focused on Japanese, Korean and Mongolian affairs, and on relations with Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
"He has deep experience working on issues related to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), forging aligned policies with our allies and partners, and protecting the integrity of the international system," the State Department said in an embargoed statement seen by Reuters.
Lambert's appointment is unlikely to change the tone of Washington's China policy but should inject energy into an operation that has been criticized for adding layers of bureaucracy to an already complex decision-making process.
"He is fully onboard with the mission and the mandate of China House," a senior State Department official told Reuters. "He's really focused on making sure that it's policy, paper, process and also people."
The State Department has acknowledged some staffing problems as China House was launched and mobilized but has denied that they were related to the administration's policy toward Beijing. It said the division was one if its highest-functioning teams.
The U.S. and China are at odds over issues from Taiwan to trade, fentanyl and human rights. Washington has sought to keep communication channels open by sending top cabinet members to Beijing over the past few months, ahead of a possible meeting later this year between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In May, Reuters reported that the State Department delayed sensitive actions toward China to try to limit damage to bilateral relations after an alleged Chinese spy balloon crossed U.S. airspace in February.