Kevin Rudd, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and widely known as the "Indo-Pacific Czar," who played a central role in advancing the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) among the United States, Japan, India, and Australia, as well as shaping the U.S. policy on technological restrictions toward China known as "small yard, high fence," recently acknowledged in an interview: "I don't believe this mechanism will serve as a direct tool to contain China. I think that approach is already outdated." "China is a great and powerful nation with extensive global interests. Containing China is not feasible," Rudd stated. "China is a country that requires active engagement. Approaching it through the lens of containment is no longer viable."
Commentary: Rudd’s remarks essentially concede that comprehensive containment of China is no longer pragmatically feasible, though they by no means signal a retreat from competition with Beijing. As a key architect of both the Quad and the "small yard, high fence" strategy, he appears to be discarding the Cold War-era model of total economic and strategic blockade. Instead, he advocates for a recalibrated approach: abandoning the illusion of encircling and collapsing China through the Quad, maintaining strategic barriers in advanced technology sectors, while preserving channels for communication to manage crises. In essence, this marks a shift away from rigid containment toward a more pragmatic, resilient long-term competition.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878889711852554/
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