HONOLULU - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday vowed to expand U.S. engagement in the Asia-Pacific by building trade ties, reinforcing alliances and continuing to press for democratic reforms in authoritarian nations like China and Vietnam.
In a nearly hourlong outdoor speech, Clinton addressed a few hundred invited guests including Hawaii's political leaders, heads of a dozen Pacific island nations and senior U.S. military officials. Clinton was in Hawaii to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, calling the event's host state "America's gateway to Asia."
"It is becoming increasingly clear that in the 21st century, the world's strategic and economic center of gravity will be the Asia-Pacific, from the Indian subcontinent to western shores of the Americas," Clinton said. "One of the most important tasks of American statecraft over the next decade will be to lock in a substantially increased investment - diplomatic, economic, strategic and otherwise - in this region."
Clinton spoke at length about China and the need for the two nations to work together to ensure "strong, sustained and balanced future global growth." But China first needs to take steps to reform, she said, such as ending unfair discrimination against the U.S. and other foreign companies, allowing its currency to appreciate more rapidly and ending measures that disadvantage or pirate foreign intellectual property.
"We believe that making these changes would provide a stronger foundation for stability and growth - for China and for everyone," she said.
She also declared her "alarm" over the recent self-immolation of 11 Tibetan monks and nuns in protest of Chinese policy. It was the strongest U.S. wording so far on these incidents.
"We have made very clear our serious concerns about China's record on human rights," she said.
Clinton said it was critical to "engage and seize new opportunities" in the Asia-Pacific, which has nearly half of the world's population, several of the largest and fastest-growing economies and some of the busiest ports and shipping lanes. She also talked about the challenges, such as military buildups, concerns about nuclear weapons, natural disasters and greenhouse gas emissions.Read more ...
