Kurt Campell — the major US diplomat dealing with Taiwan relations — has resigned as assistant US secretary of state for East Asia.
His departure on Friday was not unexpected — he signaled months ago that he planned to leave at the end of US President Barack Obama’s first term. A replacement has not been named and Campbell’s highly respected deputy Joe Yun — one of the highest-ranking Korean-Americans in the US government — is taking over on a temporary basis.
The development was first reported on Friday night by Chris Nelson in his privately distributed Nelson Report.
According to well-informed sources, the White House has suggested National Security Council director for Japan, South Korea and North Korea Daniel Russel as Campbell’s permanent replacement. However, those sources say that US Secretary of State John Kerry is still considering others.
Other possibles are said to include Harvard professor Joe Nye; former US ambassador to South Korea Kathy Stephens; former Department of State official Susan Shirk; former American Institute in Taiwan chief Richard Bush; Senate Foreign Relations staffer Michael Schiffer; and Frank Januzzi, head of Amnesty International’s Washington office.
A Department of State source said that he did not know what Campbell was planning on doing next. Campbell could not be reached for comment. The source said that Campbell had simply informed Kerry that he had decided to return to private life.
“Assistant Secretary Campbell played an instrumental role in leading the Department’s efforts to reorient American priorities to the Asia-Pacific as part of the strategic rebalance to maintain and deepen relations in the region,” the State Department said in a statement.
At a conference last month, Campbell joked about his career at the department ending soon by saying that when he arrived for work that morning there was a delivery truck in his parking space. He added that workmen had been told that his office was empty.
Later he said that he expected to find a big black crow on his office windowsill.
Campbell has been extremely popular and Asian experts in Washington are almost unanimous in their praise of his diplomatic abilities.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS