October 27, 2010Clinton Leaves For Asia-Pacific To Send 'Strong Message Of US Engagement'
United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will embark on a two-week tour of the Asia-Pacific on Wednesday to send a strong message about U.S. engagement on a range of issues - strategic, political, multilateral, economic and trade - in the region.
Briefing on her tour itinerary in Washington, Assistant Secretary of State Bureau of East Asian & Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said it covers "our engagement with the multilateral institutions of Asia that are evolving, the great important powers of Northeast Asia, high-level diplomacy with Japan, China, and South Korea.
This will be Clinton's sixth major trip to the region; and her longest foreign tour as Secretary of State.
Her first stop will be in Hawaii where she will meet with commanders of U.S. forces in the Pacific. Later in the day, she will be meeting her Japanese counterpart Seiji Maehara and review all aspects of U.S.-Japan bilateral relations.
On Thursday, in an address to a consortium of organizations that have been brought together by the East-West Center, she will deliver a major policy speech on the United States' role as a Pacific nation. Then the Secretary will meet with U.S. forces stationed in Guam.
Clinton will travel to Hanoi to attend the East Asia Summit, where she will make a presentation the following day.
On the sidelines of the Summit, she will have a series of high-level bilateral meetings, including with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, and her Russian and Indian counterparts. Clinton is also planning to talk with the Foreign Ministers of the Lower Mekong Initiative.
The Secretary will also meet with the Vietnamese leaders.
From Hanoi, the U.S. delegation will travel to Hainan Island, where Clinton will have a meeting with her counterpart in the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo. At that session, the U.S.-China relationship will be reviewed.
Preparations for the upcoming G-20 meeting, APEC, and Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit of the United States next year will also be discussed.
China was not on the itinerary when the trip was originally announced last week.
Campbell told reporters that the United States wanted very much a strong productive relationship with China and that it was seeking to intensify dialogue on a range of issues.
On October 30, she will depart for Cambodia where she will meet with government and civil society leaders in Phnom Penh and visit Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
She will continue on to Malaysia on November 1, her the first visit to that country. From Malaysia, the Secretary will make up for a visit of Papua New Guinea that was canceled after the earthquake in Haiti.
She will continue to New Zealand, and issue the Wellington Declaration that explains U.S.-New Zealand coordination on non-proliferation, politics, climate change, and how they work together in the Pacific Islands.
On November 6, Clinton will travel to Melbourne, where U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will join her for the 25th anniversary of the annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) to discuss regional and global security issues.
She will interact with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Defense Minister Steve Smith and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd in terms of coordination on Asia-Pacific security issues, coordination on some trade-related issues, and on issues in South Asia.
Clinton returns to Washington, DC on November 8 after a stopover in American Samoa, the third Pacific island that she visits in this tour.
At every stop, the Secretary will highlight both political and economic interactions, a desire to promote U.S. exports and see a more forward engagement on economic matters.
The U.S. delegation will also touch upon Afghanistan, piracy issues in the Arabian Gulf, developments inside North Korea, and international security.
Campbell said the United States was working closely with a number of states in the Asia-Pacific region to underscore the Obama administration's strong commitment to remain an active engaged diplomatic, political, security, and economic player in the Asia-Pacific region going forward.
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