To build consensus and a rationale for change, Campbell set up what he later termed a “listening tour,” going country to country to hear out the fears surrounding China’s behavior. The list was long. Publicly, the Australians complained about economic coercion and retaliation. India detailed skirmishes on its border with China. The Philippines and Taiwan worried about the militarization of the South China Sea: Satellite photographs made clear that the islands that Xi promised would never be militarized were now air bases for fighter jets, visible wingtip-to-wingtip on the “reclaimed” islands.
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