Advertisement
Japan
AsiaEast Asia

US to send official to Tokyo dedicated to monitoring China

  • The dispatch of such a specialised China watcher to the embassy is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to reinforce intelligence gathering
  • The department has already added about 20 similar officials in charge of monitoring China to the US embassies in other capitals

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
8
View of Tokyo Tower from the observatory at the Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower in Tokyo. The dispatch of such a specialised China watcher to the embassy is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to reinforce intelligence gathering, according to the sources. Photo: Bloomberg
Kyodo
The administration of President Joe Biden will deploy an official dedicated to monitoring Chinese governmental and business activities to the US embassy in Tokyo in July, State Department sources said on Saturday.
The dispatch of such a specialised China watcher to the embassy is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to reinforce intelligence gathering, according to the sources.

The department has already added about 20 similar officials in charge of monitoring China to the US embassies in other capitals, including Bangkok, Brussels, Rome and Sydney. The Tokyo posting will be Washington’s first of its kind in East Asia, the sources said.

Advertisement
Diplomats carrying out these specialised duties are known as regional China officers, a category launched during the previous administration under Donald Trump.

The officers are tasked with collecting and analysing information regarding China’s inroads into the region or country where they are based.

Tourists walk through Sensoji temple at Asakusa in downtown Tokyo. The official to be assigned to the Tokyo embassy will be affiliated with the unit formally called the Office of China Coordination. Photo: EPA-EFE
Tourists walk through Sensoji temple at Asakusa in downtown Tokyo. The official to be assigned to the Tokyo embassy will be affiliated with the unit formally called the Office of China Coordination. Photo: EPA-EFE

In addition to monitoring China’s actions, the official to be sent to Tokyo will be in charge of promoting the establishment of supply chains for semiconductors and other vital goods that do not rely on China, the sources said.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x