Hillary set to visit Asia for sixth time in 18 months

October 27, 2010
Source: Zee News

Washington: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to embark on her sixth Asian visit in 18 months, reflecting the significance attached by the US to its ties with the countries of the region.

"It covers our engagement with the multilateral institutions of Asia that are evolving ? the great important powers of Northeast Asia, high-level diplomacy with Japan, with China, with South Korea," Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Kurt Campbell, told reporters in a pre-trip briefing.

"A lot of the key emerging states in Southeast Asia where we have had, frankly, only infrequent visits in the past, the Secretary is very much looking forward to those stops," he said.

The trip that would take Clinton to at least half a dozen countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australian, is the longest Asian visit by her as the Secretary of State, Campbell said.

In fact, her first overseas visit as the Secretary of State was to Asia.

"It (the trip) is intended to send a strong message of US engagement on a range of issues strategic, political, multilateral. We'll be dealing with some of the key institutions that are evolving in Asia and also economic and trade as well," Campbell said.

After leaving Washington later today, Clinton would have her first stop in Hawaii where she would be meeting her Japanese counterpart to review all aspects of their bilateral relationship, ranging from security developments to prospects on the economic and trade front.

In Honolulu, she would also deliver a major speech on Asia at the East-West Centre, a think-tank. From Hawaii, Clinton would head to Hanoi, with a brief stopover in Guam.

In Hanoi, Clinton will represent the US President as his Special Representative to the East Asia summit meeting. Besides, Clinton would also meet Indian interlocutors participating in the summit.

From Hanoi, she will travel to Hainan Island, where she will have a meeting with her Chinese counterpart in Strategic and Economic Dialogue, State Councillor Dai Bingguo.

"At that session, we will review the various issues in the US-China relationship, make sure that we're making adequate preparations for both the upcoming G-20 meeting, APEC, and particularly for the session that will take place in January when (President) Hu Jintao will visit the United States, or in early part of 2011," he said.

From there, Clinton will travel to Cambodia and then she will go to Malaysia.

After a brief stopover in Papua New Guinea, Clinton would travel to New Zealand where the two countries will issue the so-called Wellington Declaration. From there, she will go to Australia.

PTI