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| Jul. 12, 2012 - The Obama administration is pressing Beijing to accept a code of conduct for resolving territorial disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea, a difficult mediation effort that has faced resistance from the communist government - washington post |
“And she offered deeper U.S. partnerships with communist governments in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, which have looked to Washington for fear of being swallowed up by China’s expanding power.”
By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, July 12
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The Obama administration now has a
taste of the difficult diplomacy necessary to sharpen the focus of American
power on Asia, seeking investment opportunities alongside reforms from
rights-abusing governments and working with China while defending U.S.
interests.
From democratic Mongolia to once-hostile Vietnam and
long-isolated Laos, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton this week faced
governments eager to embrace the United States as a strategic counterweight to
China’s expanding military and economic dominance of the region, while still
lukewarm about American demands for greater democracy and rule of law.
The Obama administration is pressing Beijing to accept a
code of conduct for resolving territorial disputes in the resource-rich South
China Sea, a difficult mediation effort that has faced resistance from the
communist government.
And after meeting face-to-face with China’s foreign minister
Thursday as she began to wrap up a weeklong tour of Asia, Clinton lauded
Washington’s cooperation with Beijing even as she took up the case of several
Southeast Asian nations threatened by the communist government’s expansive
claims over the resource-rich South China Sea.
In the discussions across the world’s most populous
continent, U.S. officials outlined their belief in greater democracy and
freedom for Asian nations. The vision is part of a larger Obama administration
effort to change the direction of U.S. diplomacy and commercial policy and
redirect it to the place most likely to become the center of the global economy
over the next century.
It is also a reaction to the region’s slide toward
undemocratic China as its economy has boomed and America’s has struggled.
“As we’ve travelled across Asia, I’ve talked about the
breadth of American engagement in this region, especially our work to
strengthen economic ties and support democracy and human rights,” Clinton told
reporters Thursday. “This is all part of advancing our vision of an open, just
and sustainable regional order for the Asia-Pacific.”
Clinton will meet Friday with Myanmar’s reformist President
Thein Sein and introduce him to American business leaders looking for
investment opportunities. The U.S. eased sanctions on the once reclusive
military dictatorship this week, opening up new opportunities for the
administration as it seeks to double American exports.
Still, Clinton said she would urgeThein Sein to do more.
“Political prisoners remain in detention,” she said. “Ongoing ethnic and
sectarian violence continues to undermine progress toward national
reconciliation, stability and lasting peace. And fundamental reforms are
required to strengthen the rule of law and increase transparency.”
The tour started in Japan, where Clinton assured a long-time
ally the U.S. was committed to its security. From there, she visited four
countries in China’s backyard, part of a larger economic area among the world’s
most dynamic. Up to now, however, China has taken the most advantage.
In each place, Clinton was careful to make the case for
American values alongside American business aspirations. It’s unclear, however,
if both messages were received.
In Ulan Bator, she credited Mongolia with liberalizing
economically as well as politically, holding it up as a foil to the Chinese
model of growth without freedom. And she offered deeper U.S. partnerships with
communist governments in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, which have looked to
Washington for fear of being swallowed up by China’s expanding power.
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