Washington’s number two diplomat, a key player in foreign policy, will soon end her three-decade career in government
US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is set to retire, the State Department announced Friday. The 73-year-old official has been heavily involved in shaping Washington’s current strategy toward China and the wider Asia-Pacific, where he seeks to challenge Beijing on multiple fronts.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed Sherman’s long career as a diplomat in a statement announcing her resignation, saying she had “helped lead our commitment to the Indo-Pacific, the region where the history of the 21st century will be written.”
“She has deepened our ties with our friends around the world, especially with the Republic of Korea, Japan and the European Union. She has overseen our efforts to strengthen the [State] Department’s capabilities to manage our relationship with the People’s Republic of China and to enhance convergence with our allies and partners,” he added.
In an internal memo sent to department employees, Sherman said that “Diplomacy is not for the faint-hearted” urging colleagues to “to have courage” and use their power “for real.” She said her retirement would be effective at the end of next month.
With a career spanning more than three decades, multiple presidents and five separate secretaries of state, Sherman has been involved in a long list of important foreign policy decisions over the years. As Blinken’s deputy, she focused largely on China, often acting as an official spokesperson to explain U.S. strategy toward the People’s Republic.
In comments to lawmakers earlier this year, Sherman warned that China is “the only competitor with the intention and the means to reshape the international order”, accusing Beijing of “provocations in the South China Sea”, abuse of human rights, “economic coercion” And “threatening behavior against Taiwan”, that China considers to be part of its sovereign territory.
Since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, US relations with China have reached new depths. For the past two years, the Pentagon has ordered near-constant transits of the disputed Taiwan Strait by U.S. warships, while a visit to Taipei by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022 , triggered unprecedented Chinese military exercises in the airspace and waters around the island. . He performed additional war games following a trip to the United States by the Taiwanese leader earlier this year.
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However, as Sherman prepares to leave the State Department for good, there appear to be signs of renewed diplomacy with China. Earlier this week, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held a series of unannounced talks with a senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official, the highest-level engagement between the two nations since the Biden’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, last November.
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