United States Asia Pacific Council Washington Conference:
"The United States and the Asia Pacific: Issues for the Next Administration"
Wednesday, Nov. 10
Capital Hilton, Washington D.C.
WASHINGTON (Nov. 10) -- Trade liberalization, East-Asian regionalism and viewing U.S.-Asia Pacific relations beyond the war on terrorism were some of the issues discussed by American and Asian speakers today at the 2nd United States Asia Pacific Council conference.
Speakers also talked about the importance of next week's APEC meeting in Chile, which will be attended by President George Bush. Several focused on the importance of continued U.S. involvement in Asia-Pacific regional institutions.
Speakers included Ambassador Peter F. Allgeier, deputy US Trade Representative; Ambassador Han Sung Joo, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States; and Sen. Chuck Hagel, chair, Senate Foreign Relations International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion Subcommittee.
Links to two speeches and summaries of others are included below. For more information, contact Susan Kreifels at kreifels@eastwestcenter.org.
The U.S. Asia Pacific Council, formed with the support of the U.S.Department of State, comprises American corporations and citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the U.S. relationship with Asian and Pacific nations. The Council is a vehicle through which the knowledge and experience of its members inform and enhance U.S. engagement withthe region.
The Council is hosted by and administered through the East-West Center, a U.S. and internationally funded non-profit research and educational institution dedicated to the further development of a Pacific community.
Links and summaries:
1. Ambassador Peter F. Allgeier, deputy US Trade Representative, who spoke on trade policy and the trade negotiating agenda of the second Bush administration:
http://ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/USTR_Deputy_Speeches/2004/asset_upload_file282_6734.pdf
2. C. Fred Bergsten, director, Institute for International Economics, speaking on APEC and regional trade liberalization, "Toward a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific":
3. Ambassador Han Sung Joo, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States, on changing political and security dynamics:
Despite a diversity of views within the Bush administration, Han Sung Joo said Bush had accepted the six-party talks on North Korea. He said some in Korea fear that with his re-election, Bush will veer more toward a hard-line and less accommodating policy on North Korea. "I don't think that is in the works. It depends on how North Korea responds." North Korea, he said, is now waiting to see how the next Bush administration moves forward, but he added that waiting was not in North Korea's interest.
The ambassador said talks in the last couple of years between South Korea and the United States had been "ambiguous" on establishing a "red line" that North Korea cannot cross and also on establishing time limits. He indicated that it is an open question whether future bilateral talks will involve "more
depth" on those points.
4. Muthiah Alagappa, director, East-West Center Washington, on changing political and security dynamics:
Muthiah Alagappa suggested a number of points for consideration by the Bush administration in formulating foreign policy during the next term. Protection of human rights and minority rights is crucial, he said. While the sovereignty
of states must be respected, there is a burden on the international community to pay more attention to human rights and not just focus through the "lens of
terrorism."
He also said support of authoritarian leaders has long-term negative consequences and there should be pressure on them to democratize. Other suggestions: with the rise of Asian countries such as China and India, the United States has a role in the management of relations among major powers;
security includes more issues than nuclear power and should not be addressed only through the "lens of non-proliferation"; and developing peace and security should also focus on issues such as economic interdependence and common values.
5. Sen. Chuck Hagel, Republican from Nebraska and chair, Senate Foreign Relations International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion Subcommittee, speaking on U.S.-Asia Pacific relations:
The critical importance of the Asia-Pacific region to the United States will provide an "anchor" in U.S. policymaking for as "far as the eye can see," Sen. Chuck Hagel said. In terms of trade, policy and security, it is important for the president, his Cabinet, and the U.S. Congress to "see the world in a wider lens" and to realize that if other parts of the world are in trouble, "we are
in trouble."
He said the United States is learning that it "can't dictate our will on other sovereign nations" and that a common denominator must be found for U.S. policymaking to "bring nations together...to lead by force of purpose, not
force of power." For example, the United States "can't impose human rights on China, we can work with China."
He said immigration policy should be reformed to minimize difficulties faced by foreigners in getting U.S. visas. He also noted a "dangerous protectionist streak in Congress," adding that the United States needs new markets and value-added products, not subsidies.
6. Ambassador Yukio Satoh, president, Japan Institute for International Affairs, and Edward J. Lincoln, senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, on East-Asian regionalism and excluding America:
Yukio Satoh gave several possible reasons for the rise of regional organizations in East Asia, including the desire to be more self-reliant since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, a growing awareness of human-security threats in the region, and the rise of the European Union. But excluding the United States from economic or security issues would be counterproductive.
Edward J. Lincoln said it was a good idea for close geographic neighbors to talk with each other on a government-to-government level without the United States in the middle. Lincoln said, however, that the United States should not be excluded from regional issues.