Reuters-US names veteran diplomat Mark Lambert as top China policy official
September 29, 2023 2 min 374 words
这则报道宣布了马克·兰伯特被任命为美国国务院的中国政策高级官员，负责处理美中关系的重要问题，如台湾、贸易和对中国技术访问的限制。这是在美中两大战略竞争对手之间的紧张关系背景下的重要举措。兰伯特曾在北京的美国大使馆工作，拥有丰富的亚洲专业知识。然而，他的任命似乎不会改变华盛顿对华政策的基调，该政策最近侧重于与北京进行对话，以确保紧张关系不会升级为冲突。不过，这将为一个被批评增加官僚层级并拖慢政策制定的机构注入新活力。 兰伯特的任命体现了美国政府对中国问题的持续关注，但需要密切关注他是否能够应对复杂的中美关系。双方之间存在着一系列争议，从台湾到贸易、芬太尼和人权等问题。担任中国政策官员的任务不容小觑，需要敏锐的外交手腕和坚定的立场，以维护美国的国家利益和国际秩序的完整性。 总的来说，兰伯特的任命表明美国仍然视中国问题为外交政策的核心，并希望通过更好地协调政策来处理与中国的复杂关系。这一决定将在未来的中美关系中发挥关键作用，需要密切监测其影响和成果。
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.