Hotlines ‘ring out’: China’s military crisis strategy needs rethink, says Biden Asia chief

Kurt Campbell says Beijing has been increasing military activities without taking measures to reduce the chance of miscalculation

The Biden administration's top Asia official has warned about the absence of a crisis-communications channel between the US and China at a time of rising military tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Military and leadership hotlines have been established at various points in the fraught history of the relationship, but Kurt Campbell, the White House Asia tsar" responsible for coordinating policy across the administration, said Beijing had shown no interest in using them, out of a preference for uncertainty. The hotline simply rings out in empty rooms", he said.