US must focus on Asia on diplomacy, economy—Clinton

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads a discussion with business leaders on foreign direct investment to the United States at the State Department on October 7 in Washington, DC. AFP

WASHINGTON—US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday renewed calls for the United States to invest more of its diplomatic, economic and military energy in Asia in order to remain a world leader.

Writing in Foreign Policy Magazine, Clinton said the United States stands at a “pivot point” where it must invest more in the Asia-Pacific, now “a key driver of global politics,” as it draws down in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The chief US diplomat urged Americans to resist those who, seeing the transitions in Iraq and Afghanistan, call for Washington to cut back on its overseas commitments in order to tackle the economic challenges at home.

“Those who say that we can no longer afford to engage with the world have it exactly backward — we cannot afford not to,” Clinton wrote.

“From opening new markets for American businesses to curbing nuclear proliferation to keeping the sea lanes free for commerce and navigation, our work abroad holds the key to our prosperity and security at home,” she said.

“Open markets in Asia provide the United States with unprecedented opportunities for investment, trade, and access to cutting-edge technology,” she said.

“Our economic recovery at home will depend on exports and the ability of American firms to tap into the vast and growing consumer base of Asia,” she said.

“Strategically, maintaining peace and security across the Asia-Pacific is increasingly crucial to global progress, whether through defending freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, countering the proliferation efforts of North Korea, or ensuring transparency in the military activities of the region’s key players.”

Clinton said: “Our challenge now is to build a web of partnerships and institutions across the Pacific that is as durable and as consistent with American interests and values as the web we have built across the Atlantic.”

She called for updating the bedrock US alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand.

This would mean ensuring for example that such alliances are “operationally and materially capable of deterring provocation from the full spectrum,” she said.

As for China, she said: “We both have much more to gain from cooperation than from conflict.” She also urged Beijing to overcome its occasional reluctance and forge a “durable military-to-military dialogue” with Washington.

She pledged to continue working closely with India and Indonesia, which she called “two of the most dynamic and significant democratic powers of Asia.”

Clinton has often stressed the importance of deepening US engagement in Asia since she traveled to Japan, Indonesia, China and South Korea on her first overseas visit as secretary of state.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leads a discussion with business leaders on foreign direct investment to the United States at the State Department on October 7 in Washington, DC. AFP