U.S. Secretary of State Clinton to begin lengthy Asian tour on Thursday

[News_Editor]

U.S. Secretary of State Clinton to begin lengthy Asian tour on Thursday

2010-10-28 02:21:35 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The U.S. State Department on Wednesday discussed Secretary Hillary Clinton's plans for her lengthy tour in the Asia-Pacific region on Thursday.

Clinton is scheduled to visit Asia for the sixth time and is hoping to send a strong message of U.S. engagement on a range of strategic, political and multilateral issues. The major trip will also deal with some of the key institutions that are evolving in the region.

The State Secretary will first visit Hawaii where she will have some preliminary discussions with U.S. Forces commanders in the Pacific. Then she will meet her counterpart, Foreign Minister Maehara from Japan to review the bilateral relationship and all areas of coordination and consultation ranging from recent security developments to prospects on the economic and trade front.

The following day, Clinton will give a major address on U.S. strategy, accomplishments, and the way forward in the Asia-Pacific region to a consortium of organizations that have been brought together by the East-West Center.

In her speech, the State Secretary will talk about U.S. activities in the upcoming period, including high-level diplomacy with its allies and partners, the preparations for President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington in the early part of 2011, and steps to prepare for both the G-20 in South Korea and the APEC in Japan.

From Honolulu, Clinton will depart to Guam to meet with U.S. forces and troops that are stationed in the region. She will hold a bilateral meeting with the governor and also representatives from Guam at the base.

Then, she will stop in Hanoi, a visit in which she will represent President Obama at the East Asia summit meeting on October 30. In Hanoi, Clinton will have a series of high-level bilateral meetings, with President Lee Myung-bak, the new foreign minister, Russian counterparts, and Indian interlocutors.

The focus of such meeting will be the Lower Mekong Initiative, which is a collection of states that all share the Mekong River as part of its heritage. The U.S. intends to disclose its next steps associated with the assistance and the program for cooperation that links the Mississippi River with the Mekong River.

After that, Clinton will travel to Hainan Island where she will have a meeting with her counterpart in the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, State Councilor Dai Bingguo. The two officials will review the various issues in the U.S.-China relationship, preparations for both the upcoming G-20 meeting, APEC, and the visit of the Chinese President to the U.S.

In Cambodia, Secretary Clinton will meet with high-level officials and participate in other civil society projects and other issues in which the United States is deeply engaged, like the Peace Corps.

From Cambodia, the State Secretary will travel to Malaysia, the first visit of Clinton to the nation. Clinton will discuss the bilateral relationship with Prime Minister Najib and his key cabinet. They will talk about the enormous progress on a range of issues like proliferation issues, political coordination, and strategic dialogue.

The last stops in the Asian tour will be in Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. In there, Clinton will discuss the Papua’s newly found petroleum and gas finds. In Wellington, New Zealand, Clinton will reaffirm a relationship that has not received as much attention over the course of the last 25 years.

Before returning to American soil, the U.S. State Secretary will stop in Australia and American Samoa to underscore about stepping up the U.S. involvement in the Asian Pacific region. She will be joined by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in the so-called AUSMIN meetings.

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