Duval Times

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) questioned U.S. Department of State Deputy Secretary Kurt Campbell during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on strategic competition with Communist China.

“The technological and industrial high ground has always been a precursor of global power. If you look at what China has achieved, 10 years ago, maybe even less, they led in none of the cutting-edge fields. Today, they dominate the world’s electric vehicle markets….They are dominant in energy fields. They [hold about] 80 percent of the global supply chain for solar. They are technologically a leader in nuclear power in ways that have surpassed our own,” stated Senator Rubio.

Rubio highlighted China's advancements in various sectors and expressed concerns over its dominance in areas such as electric vehicles, energy fields, shipbuilding, and basic industrial inputs like steel and cement. He noted that these industries form the core of national power and stressed the importance of protecting non-Chinese sources of these critical materials.

Campbell acknowledged Rubio's perspective and supported his general worldview. He emphasized the complexity of the current situation compared to the Cold War era due to economic interdependence between the United States and China.

“One of the biggest challenges for the United States as it constructs a strategy—and I’m going to try to answer the second part of your question—is that there are very few countries that are more interdependent than the United States and China,” Campbell said.

Campbell identified naval shipbuilding as a critical area requiring improvement for maintaining U.S. naval power in the 21st century. He mentioned issues such as insufficient workforce and capacity in shipbuilding but suggested potential collaboration with allies could be beneficial despite legislative challenges.

“There are a lot of reasons why shipbuilding is challenging…[but] we have to do better in this arena, or we will not be the great naval power that we need to be for the 21st century,” he asserted.

Campbell concluded by underscoring the need for investment and innovation within both Navy and Air Force capabilities, particularly focusing on long-range air capabilities necessary for operations in the Indo-Pacific region.

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