Mark Baxter Lambert Explained

Mark Baxter Lambert
Office:	China Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China and Taiwan, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
President:	Joe Biden
Term Start:	September 29, 2023
Predecessor:	Rick Waters
Nationality:	United States
Education:	Willamette University (BA), Baylor Law School (JD)
Occupation:	Diplomat
Spouse:	Laura Merritt Stone
Children:	2
Father:	Malcolm Lambert

Mark Baxter Lambert is an American diplomat currently serving as China Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China and Taiwan in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the US Department of State, heading the Office of China Coordination and Office of Taiwan Coordination.^{[1] [2]}

Early life and education

Lambert was born in Kentucky and grew up in Oregon. He holds a BA in history and political science from Willamette University and a JD from Baylor Law School (1987). Lambert's father Malcolm Lambert and sister Laura Lambert Brodie are both Baylor University alumni. His mother, Eunice Lambert, was a graduate of George Fox University. His wife is Laura Stone, a U.S. diplomat currently serving as the United States Ambassador to Marshall Islands.^[3]

State Department career

Lambert joined the State Department in 1990 and between 1991 and 1993 worked at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota Colombia on human rights issues. After a two-year post in Japan he returned to Washington to work in the Office of Japanese Affairs on environmental and health issues.^[4]

Lambert began his first posting in Beijing in 2000 after two years of Chinese language training. He returned to Washington in summer 2003 for a year of Thai language training and was posted to Bangkok in 2004 to focus on US-Thailand political and military relations.

Lambert also served as Director of the Office of Korean Affairs and later Special Envoy for North Korean Affairs.^[5] In 2020 he was appointed a special envoy responsible for countering malign influence in the United Nations.^{[6] [7]} Most recently he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.^{[2] [8]}

In September 2023, the State Department announced that Lambert would succeed Rick Waters as China Coordinator heading the Office of China Coordination and serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.^{[9] [10]}

References

1. Web site: Mark Baxter Lambert . 2023-10-03 . United States Department of State . en-US.
2. Web site: Introduction of New China Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China and Taiwan Mark Lambert . 2023-10-03 . United States Department of State . en.
3. Web site: 2024-07-16 . Strengthening Ties: U.S. Ambassador Laura Stone Presents Credentials to the Marshall Islands . 2024-07-21 . U.S. Embassy in the Republic of the Marshall Islands . en-US.
4. Web site: 2003-02-27 . Baylor Law Grad Escorts Chinese Political Prisoner To Freedom . 2023-10-03 . news.web.baylor.edu . en.
5. Web site: Mark Baxter Lambert . October 3, 2023 . George Washington University.
6. Web site: Lynch . Colum . 2020-01-22 . U.S. State Department Appoints Envoy to Counter Chinese Influence at the U.N. . 2023-10-03 . Foreign Policy . en-US.
7. Web site: 2020-01-24 . US tasks diplomatic official to counter China's 'malign influence' at UN . 2023-10-03 . South China Morning Post . en.
8. Web site: The Capital Cable #40 with Mark Lambert CSIS Events . 2023-10-03 . www.csis.org . en.
9. Web site: 2023-09-30 . US names veteran diplomat Mark Lambert as top China policy official . 2023-10-03 . South China Morning Post . en.
10. Web site: 2023-08-29 . State Department Picks Veteran Diplomat Lambert as Top China Policy Official: Sources . 2023-10-03 . VOA . en.