10 November 2009

Obama Seeks to Deepen U.S.-East Asia Engagement

Chinese President Hu Jintao, left, and President Obama met in London for consultations at the Group of 20 Summit in early April.

By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.
Staff Writer

Washington — President Obama wants to make it clear to East Asian nations that the United States is a Pacific nation and that it intends to deepen its engagement in the Asia-Pacific region, White House advisers say.

Obama will visit Japan, Singapore, China and the Republic of Korea (ROK) November 12–19. His trip includes participation in the annual leaders’ meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Singapore and also a meeting with the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said in a press briefing November 9.

“The overarching theme is that America is a Pacific nation, it understands the importance of Asia in the 21st century, and it’s going to be very engaged in a very comprehensive way to make progress on a whole series of issues that are critical for our prosperity and our security,” Rhodes said in a conference call with reporters in Washington.

Issues surrounding North Korea’s nuclear weapons, the global economic recovery, expanded regional trade, climate change, energy security, human rights, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Northeast Asian security are expected to top the agenda as the president meets with Asian leaders.

“I think it’s a common perception in the region that U.S. influence has been on the decline in the last decade,” said Jeffrey Bader, the National Security Council’s senior director for East Asian affairs. “One of the messages that the president will be sending in his visit is that we are an Asia-Pacific nation and we are there for the long haul.”

The four-nation trip begins in Tokyo on November 13 with a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. Obama will give a major speech the next day, November 14, at Suntory Hall in Tokyo in which he will discuss his view of U.S. engagement in Asia as it relates to the political, security and economic dimensions, but also to reaffirm the U.S.-Japanese alliance, Rhodes said. The president leaves on the evening of November 14 for Singapore to attend APEC, but also to hold a bilateral consultation with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

At APEC, Obama will meet with the other economic leaders and discuss efforts to promote balanced and sustainable growth in the region and elsewhere, building on efforts first mounted at recent meetings of the Group of 20 major industrialized and emerging market nations, Rhodes said.

Enhancing global economic recovery and growth and resisting trade protectionism will be significant themes at the APEC forum and are expected to lead the agenda.

“Clearly, given where the global macroeconomy stands in these days, it’s a very pressing issue for everyone to discuss the ways that we can achieve economic recovery and growth,” Kurt Tong, U.S. senior official for APEC, said in recent congressional testimony. (See “Economic Recovery, Resisting Trade Protectionism Top APEC Agenda.”)

While at APEC, Obama also will hold a brief bilateral meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and discuss nuclear nonproliferation, economic recovery and a number of strictly bilateral issues, Rhodes said. Obama will also meet with leaders from the 10-member nations of ASEAN, which will feature a discussion on new directions the United States is taking in Burma policy, he said.

Following the APEC forum, Obama will visit China November 15–18, with stops in Shanghai and Beijing, holding bilateral meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

“China and the United States partner together on a range of global challenges, again, covering both economic recovery, nonproliferation issues, [and] increasing cooperation on energy issues,” Rhodes said.

Bader said the China stop on the four-nation trip is especially critical. “We’ve had a smooth transition in the U.S.-China relationship, something that has not always been the case in the past with previous administrations,” Bader said.

“China is an essential player on the global issues that are the center of our agenda,” he added. “On none of these issues can we succeed without China’s cooperation.”

Central to the bilateral meetings with Hu and Wen, Bader said, is building trust and cooperation. “Obviously, there’s a [history], to some degree, of mistrust, and that’s something we look to address,” he said.

The final stop on the visit is Seoul, South Korea, for talks with ROK President Lee Myung-bak.

The start of the president’s trip was delayed a day so that he and first lady Michelle Obama could attend memorial services with families and friends at the U.S. Army post at Fort Hood, Texas, following a recent incident of violence that killed 13 and injured 29.

A transcript of the briefing is available on America.gov.