【By Observer Net, Shao Yun】

According to Xinhua, due to the rapid growth in scale and expenditure, the U.S. Department of State is currently carrying out staff reductions and reorganization. On July 25, a source revealed that the "China Affairs Coordination Office" (also known as the "China House" or "China Team") responsible for U.S.-China strategy will be taken over by the new head Joshua Young, who will report directly to the U.S. Department of State's "number three person," Deputy Secretary Allison Hooker.

It is reported that Young is the fourth "coordinator" since the establishment of the "China House" in 2022. Previously, previous "coordinators" reported to the Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs (EAP). After the departmental restructuring, the "China House" will still be located under EAP, but Young can "report directly to the seventh floor." The seventh floor is where the offices of Secretary of State Rubio, Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources Allison Hooker, and other senior officials of the U.S. Department of State are located.

Photo: Joshua Young, U.S. Department of State website

Analysts believe this restructuring is likely to accelerate the implementation of White House orders, as Rubio is also serving as National Security Advisor to President Trump, and one of the main tasks of the "China House" this year is to prepare for Trump's potential visit to China.

Bonnie Glaser, Director of the "Indo-Pacific Project" at the German Marshall Fund, expects Rubio, in his capacity as National Security Advisor, to lead the preparation for the visit. Additionally, Treasury Secretary Bensons and Commerce Secretary Rutnik are expected to play an important role in the preparation. "Rutnik has already been contacting CEOs of major companies to find out if they are interested in accompanying the president on the trip."

Glaser added that Trump likes "micro-management," often taking final decision-making power on many issues and frequently going off-script. However, the "China House" must ensure he has something to go off from.

The so-called "China House" was established during the Biden administration, which claimed that the office aims to ensure the U.S. government can "responsibly manage the competition with China."

According to publicly available information on the U.S. Department of State website, before taking over the "China House," Young was the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Security Policy at the U.S. Department of State, part of the Senior Executive Service (SES), mainly responsible for non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and dual-use technologies.

Before joining the Department of State, Young served as Executive Director of the "Project 2049 Institute." This U.S. think tank and its co-founder Randy Schriver often make strong statements on military and cross-strait relations, produce alarmist research reports, and hype up the so-called "Chinese military threat theory," and have been named by the Taiwan Affairs Office. At that time, Young was responsible for developing feasible solutions to address China's so-called "economic coercion."

During Trump's first term, Young also worked at the Pentagon, where Randy Schriver, then Assistant Secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs at the U.S. Department of Defense, was his superior.

Additionally, Young's appointment is seen as a way to alleviate the burden of Kevin Kim, who is currently the Deputy Assistant Secretary for China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, and the Taiwan Strait, and had previously been the head of the "China House."

An official from the U.S. Department of State familiar with Kim's schedule said that Kim's scope of responsibility is very rare. "His responsibilities are too broad - he handles China, Japan, and South Korea all on his own, and he has a meeting every 15 minutes, from morning to night."

It is reported that Michael DeSombre, who has been nominated as the new Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs (EAP), is still waiting for Senate confirmation. Sean O'Neill is currently acting as the head of EAP. However, after O'Neill was nominated as the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, Kim was promoted to Acting Senior Official of EAP, and in addition to his original responsibilities, he also took on additional responsibilities for Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Pacific Island countries, making his scope of responsibility even broader.

Previously, the U.S. Department of State informed Congress in late May that it would carry out a large-scale restructuring, and nearly 45% of the more than 700 domestic offices would be abolished, merged, or streamlined. The U.S. Department of State currently has approximately 18,780 employees. According to the restructuring plan, the number of civil servants and diplomats within the United States will be reduced by 18%, equivalent to 3,448 people.

On July 11, the U.S. Department of State began issuing layoff notices, with the first round laying off more than 1,350 people. The notice stated that the layoffs involve departments that are "non-core functions, redundant or overlapping," as well as units that can significantly improve efficiency through centralization. According to Rubio's statement, cost and budget were important considerations, as the size and expenses of the U.S. Department of State have surged over the past 15 years.

Notably, in this month's large-scale restructuring of the U.S. Department of State, dozens of departments focused on "Indo-Pacific security," such as the "Multilateral Affairs Office," were closed, and many "China experts" were laid off, expressing "concern" about the actions of the Trump administration.

They accused the Trump administration of "burning bridges," believing that the layoff plan not only affects the quality of U.S. decision-making, weakens understanding and influence over regional affairs, but also sends a signal of "American strategic withdrawal" to allies, pushing regional allies towards China. "Once they use us, they fire us," said one dismissed diplomat who focused on the South China Sea issue. "It's incredible!"

Regarding the issue of Sino-U.S. relations, China has previously explained its position in multiple occasions. On July 11, 2025, Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio in Kuala Lumpur. Both sides exchanged views on Sino-U.S. relations and issues of common concern.

Wang fully explained China's principles on developing Sino-U.S. relations, emphasizing that both sides should transform the important consensus between the two heads of state into specific policies and actions. He hopes that the U.S. side will take an objective, rational, and pragmatic attitude toward China, formulate a policy toward China with the goal of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, and deal with China in an equal, respectful, and mutually beneficial manner, jointly finding the right way for Sino-U.S. relations in the new era.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7531049493282816527/

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