For Kurt Campbell, the former U.S. deputy secretary of state and long-time Asia hand, one challenge stands out in a world rocked by conflicts and tensions: how to avoid a dangerous spiral with China. “Probably, no two countries are more interdependent than China and the U.S.,” he said in an exclusive interview with Nikkei Asia
TAG Chairman Dr. Kurt Campbell Speaks to Nikkei in a Wide-Ranging Interview Read More »
Think of the US-China contest as geopolitics on a chessboard, but not the game of kings and pawns. Rather, consider the Asian strategy game called weiqi in Chinese. The US started the 21st century with considerable advantage, but with high tariffs, Washington has weakened its position, given up turf on its weiqi board, and taken
Washington, DC; Seoul, South Korea | April 21, 2025 – The Asia Group (TAG) is proud to announce the launch of its new office in Seoul, South Korea, led by Managing Director Byung-Dae Lim. This strategic physical investment in South Korea reflects TAG’s conviction that South Korea is a world leader in global economic innovation
The Asia Group Expands Korea Practice with Seoul Office Read More »
President Donald Trump said the US is in talks with China on tariffs, and a deal could be done “over the next three or four weeks”. Mr Trump would not say whether he has spoken directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but insisted that China has been in touch since tariffs were imposed. According to
For years in U.S. foreign policy circles, discussions of China focused on its growing wealth, power, and ambition and the fear that it would supplant the United States. But a few years ago, the conversation took a sharp turn. Rather than fixating on China’s rise, most analysis began to focus on the country’s stagnation and
In his first interview since leaving office, the former US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell tells Christiane Amanpour, “I am struck by how many actors the Trump administration is reaching out against as opposed to bringing on board.”
And that’s causing anxiety among the US’s closest allies in the Indo-Pacific, said Jenny Schuch-Page, managing principal in energy and sustainability with the Washington-based Asia Group. “Even the prospect for a ‘grand bargain’ with China will make countries in South-east Asia wary about how they will fare,” she said.
“Things like cellphones, personal computers, big discretionary items or major expenditures that people have to buy, those things will be harder to replace Chinese-sourced items. So I would expect to see bigger hits in those items just because it’s hard to rebuild a supply chain to replace those,” Ambassador Kurt Tong, an Asia-focused economics expert,
Kurt Tong, former U.S. consul general in Hong Kong and Macau, analyzes the current relationship between the United States and China as trade war intensifies.
“Washington is a seductive city. There is a tendency to amplify and exaggerate its debates and passions, and decide that these absorb the rest of the planet. Most other countries recognise Washington for what it is: capital of a nation with enormous salience. As such, they attempt to understand and adjust to the policy priorities