Office of China Coordination explained

Agency Name:	Office of China Coordination
Type:	Office
Seal:	US Department of State official seal.svg
Employees:	60–70
Chief1 Name:	Mark Baxter Lambert
Chief1 Position:	Coordinator
Parent Department:	U.S. Department of State Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

The Office of China Coordination (OCC), informally known as China House, is a unit of the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs under the U.S. State Department that coordinates information-sharing and policy towards the People's Republic of China.^[1]

History

The OCC replaced the China Desk of Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs in December 2022. The office has between 60 and 70 employees, including people detailed from other departments on topics such as international security, economics, technology, multilateral diplomacy, and strategic communication.^{[2] [3]} The reorganization, launched by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, was described as a centerpiece of the Biden administration's diplomatic efforts in a global rivalry between the United States and China.

Officials told Politico that the OCC would eliminate some silos among redundant government bodies and streamline policymaking. Politico described it as analogous to the Central Intelligence Agency's China Mission Center, in that both entities would be hubs for directing funding, resources and personnel.^[4] Before the reorganization, some former State Department officials had voiced concerns about adding another layer of bureaucracy, and a spokesperson for Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho called the OCC a "bureaucratic power grab".^[5] Risch held up the reorganization for some months until his concerns were allayed.In May 2023, Reuters reported "morale problems" at the OCC potentially stemming from lack of prioritization of China issues from State Department leadership, and that then-OCC Chief Rick Waters (who subsequently joined the Eurasia Group as managing director for China)^[6] will be stepping down from the post.^{[7] [8]} In September 2023, the State Department announced Waters will be succeeded by Mark Baxter Lambert, confirming WSJ's August 2023 reporting citing unnamed sources familiar with the decision.^{[9] [10]}

Notes and References

1. Gans, Jared (December 17, 2022). "State Department launches 'China House' to coordinate policy on Beijing." The Hill. Archived from the original.
2. Staff writer (December 16, 2022). "US State Department Launches Office of China Coordination." Voice of America. Archived from the original.
3. [U.S. State Department|Office of the Spokesperson]
4. Toosi, Nahal, and Phelim Kine (December 16, 2022). "Biden launches 'China House' to counter Beijing's growing clout." Politico. Archived from the original.
5. Web site: Kine . Phelim . CIA and State's new China centers risk bureaucratic boondoggle . 2022-12-22 . . June 2, 2022 . en.
6. News: Martina . Michael . 2023-08-01 . Former top State Department China official joins Eurasia Group . en . Reuters . 2023-10-03.
7. News: Martina . Michael . 2023-05-11 . Why the US delayed China sanctions after shooting down a spy balloon . en . . 2023-05-12.
8. News: Martina . Michael . Pamuk . Humeyra . Pamuk . Humeyra . 2023-05-25 . US State Department's top China policy official to step down . en . Reuters . 2023-10-03.
9. 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.
10. Web site: Lin . Liza . State Department Set to Name New Top China Policy Official . 2023-10-03 . WSJ . en-US.