Clinton Will Console the Far East

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is out of luck. The most promising diplomatic relations area — the Middle East and the Palestinian-Israeli settlement — was taken by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on February 15. As a result, Mrs. Clinton had to be satisfied with focusing on Asia. However, American politicians have their own “thorn in their side” in that area — North Korea’s nuclear program. So she she can discuss that topic with her partners.

In six days, Clinton will visit the four countries that are crucial to the Far East in the Asia-Pacific region. These countries are Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and China. For each of them, the secretary of state has already prepared the right words to demonstrate the fundamental changes in U.S. foreign policy caused by the advent of the new White House administration. However, it remains unclear whether one of Clinton’s tasks during the Asian tour is to reconcile the local leaders’ interests. Alternatively, Washington might be taking a divide and conquer approach in that region.

Judging by Clinton’s statements made prior to the trip, she saved up a lot of carrots (as opposed to sticks) for her future conversation partners. In Tokyo, Hillary has promised “to press the North Koreans to be more forthcoming with information” about Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea. Moreover, to emphasize the importance of this issue for the new U.S. administration, the secretary of state has agreed to meet with the abductees’ families.

During the visit, Clinton will sign an agreement on the relocation of 8,000 American troops from bases on the Japanese island of Okinawa to the U.S.-owned Guam in the Pacific Ocean. The secretary of state is expected to confirm that the U.S. will provide a guarantee of security to Tokyo with respect to additional aggravation of the situation on the Korean peninsula, and North Korea’s possible plans to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles. In turn, the Japanese authorities expect that Clinton’s decision to make her first foreign visit to Tokyo will improve Premier Minister Taro Aso’s rating, which, according to the polls, dropped to 10 percent.

Clinton also spoke about significant changes in U.S. relations with China. She was very critical of the previous administration’s policies, which practically narrowed its strategic dialogue with Beijing to mere economic contacts between the countries. According to Clinton, the White House recognizes the importance of economic cooperation, but would like to have a wider agenda with China. In this regard, Clinton drew attention to U.S. military analytical reports produced during the George W. Bush presidency, which were leaked to the press. The reports said that its economic growth makes China a potential enemy to the United States.

Clinton strongly disagreed with the experts saying, “To the contrary, we believe that the United States and China can benefit from and contribute to each other’s successes.” And she announced that a meeting is scheduled for late February, which will resume the military dialogue between China and the U.S. The dialogue was suspended last year after the previous U.S. administration decided to make a large arms sale to Taiwan.

Trade cooperation will be Clinton’s main topic during her visit to South Korea and Indonesia. These countries have significant political influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Consequently, Clinton must visit them.

Furthermore, a visit to Seoul would enable Clinton to once again emphasize her country’s position on the North Korean issue. She’s expecting improvement in this area as well. According to Clinton, the George W. Bush administration made a mistake when, based on questionable information about North Korea’s secret uranium enrichment program, it broke the 1994 agreement between Washington and Pyongyang.

This time, the secretary of state promised to be more open-minded with respect to North Korea’s nuclear disarmament, and reaffirmed that the U.S. is ready to assist North Korea. But to be fair, George W. Bush’s administration also gave similar promises to Pyongyang.

In general, Clinton’s new diplomatic initiatives in Asia show once again that the White House intends to implement the changes it promised to voters, not only domestically but also in foreign policy. And in Washington’s opinion, Asia is the right place for such experiments.