Speeches

U.S.-ASEAN Ambassadors Tour 2002

Franklin L. Lavin - U.S. Ambassador to Singapore

June 2-13, 2002

Thank you, Chuck, for that introduction.

And at the risk of leaving people out, I do think it is worth noting we are honored here tonight by the presence of former Secretary of Commerce Bob Mosbacher who was my old boss when I served in the other Bush administration.

It's terrific that Senator Kit Bond is here. He fills a leadership role in the Senate, helping shape U.S. policy for Southeast Asia. He has dedicated much of his career in that regard for good number of years, and we are grateful for that leadership and support.

Yes, now we are at the most dangerous part of the evening – final remarks. I'd like to begin by asking the Four Seasons staff to seal the doors (laughter).

My job is just to chat for just a few minutes, and your job is to listen for a few minutes. If you finish your job before I finish my job (laughter), please just let me know by walking out -- quietly (laughter).

You know at the beginning of this tour, all the Ambassadors show up very sort of fresh and bright and excited. And we're given these questions. And we all have this sort of vision of ourselves as being on “Meet the Press." And we all give very thoughtful, lofty abstract conceptual answers to every question.

By the end of the tour, we're no longer on "Meet the Press." It's more like we're on Fox TV (laughter) – "When Ambassadors Attack" (laughter and applause).

But we'll try to avoid that tonight and stick to business.

I really just have two general comments to make.

One, I do want to give a review of the activities, what we did, and where, and so forth; and secondly I do think it is worth taking a few minutes to talk about some of the themes and messages of the trip.

So let me first talk about the activities, or as we call it from our point of view, the planes, trains and automobiles.

We had six countries participating in the tour – the Ambassadors and the commercial officers who are posted in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. We went from San Diego to Los Angeles to Seattle to Detroit, New York and Washington.

We covered these six cities in eight business days; traveled about 4,000 miles. And that 4,000 miles was in addition to the about 10,000 miles or so people took to get to the starting point of the tour.

But very, very important: in addition to the 12 of us from the government side – the Ambassdors and the commercial officers – we also have four key people from the US-ASEAN Business Council.

Ernie Bower, who is our MC tonight, is president of the Business Council. Ernie has been doing this for 10 years.

I thought of this. I saw a story in the paper not too long ago that the Rolling Stones are touring again (laughter). Ernie is our Mick Jagger (applause). We're grateful for you.

I'll tell you, but the man who did the work – no offense Ernie – but the man who did the work and actually organized it, and the man who is absolutely unflappable – regardless of what we're saying or how we said it – I think mainly because he didn't understand some of what we were saying (laughter). The guy who made this trip come together is the executive director of the Business Council. He's sort of the Keith Richards. Ken Richardson. He's terrific. (inaudible). He is wonderful. (applause)

And we have two wonderful women who endured us. Marlies Mulkhuyse and Cheryl Davis. They were the logistics queens. They kept us on track, on schedule and on budget. So we're proud of them.

Let me give you the tally. In these eight business days, we conducted 13 speeches or formal presentations; seven corporate tours and round tables; five sets of government meetings; and four media-academic functions.

In addition, the commercial officers conducted a series of counseling sessions and meetings in the cities we are in. So they would have one-on-one sessions with different businesses in these cities, and they ended up conducting 130 plus one-on-one sessions across the United States, which is terrific. Thank you, commercial officers. It's wonderful work. (applause)

Let me just give you some anecdotes of some of the memorable moments of that trip. You know we received a lot of corporate support, and Ernie has appropriately thanked the companies that underwrote this trip and made it all possible.

But not wanting to slight anybody's role, two companies played a direct role in moving us around, and I just want touch on that.

One, Boeing sent down a brand new Boeing 717 from LA to Seattle to pick us up and take us back up to Seattle (applause). I can tell you, that a Boeing 717 is a marvelous piece of machinery, and I encourage each of you to get one of your own (laughter).

And Federal Express provided a corporate jet to take us from Seattle to Detroit. And this ride was certainly one of the more animated and colorful rides I think any of us had taken outside an amusement park.

Tom is a delightful guy. He's a soft-spoken fellow. He is a regulatory attorney. God knows how he was paired up with us.

But to listen to him to say in a very understated Southern accent, "Ambassador, this kind of plane is not really designed for a barrel roll" (laughter) was a delight in itself.

And you know if you go through life with a negative attitude, Tom, you're never going to enjoy anything (laughter).

So we had a lot of fun on that plane, and Fedex contributed to it.

We also had, we also had, a delightful evening in Detroit where we dined amongst the largest collection of toy trains in the world. The largest eerie collection of toy trains in the world. And I think we all left that evening with a single thought, which is that we are thankful that the man did not collect Star Trek materials (laughter).

Well, look there were many other notable aspects in the evening, and after we break for dinner, we can have a few drinks and we'll go through the first draft of the speech (laughter).

But let me turn to some of the themes and messages, though, because you know it was an interesting chance for us to connect. For, I think, every single participant on the trip this was either the first trip back to the United States since September 11th or the most extensive, the longest trip back, since September 11. And it touched us.

I think all of us were struck by the vibrancy, the resiliency, the good humor, and the strength that we saw across the U.S. I think this came through, again I think for all of us, most acutely when we visited New York City because we saw Ground Zero.

I think everybody, I'm sure, said a quiet prayer.

But beyond that, we also saw the industriousness and the determination of a very proud and successful city. And seeing America at its best, I think reminded all of us of how honored we are to be able to serve you as ambassadors.

We are proud to represent the United States. And as elements of our government move to respond to terrorism, we all know that we have the same missions at our posts and that you're going to get the same kind of dedication and sense of purpose in our respective tasks that our leadership shows here in Washington.

And indeed, that sentiment was an interesting connection throughout the trip because one of the themes we got to at every city was: what's the response been in Southeast Asia to September 11?

And it's worth noting that each in its own fashion, the countries of Southeast Asia are also quite serious about combating this plague.

No country in the region wants to be used by terrorists. We've already seen many fruitful areas of cooperation between the U.S. and various ASEAN nations. And one clear example in this regard is the superb job that the governments of the region have been doing in safeguarding Americans and other foreigners who live and work in their country.

So we know, from our own experience, that no place in the world is perfectly safe. But we know that the business cities of Southeast Asia can compare, quite readily, with the business centers in the United States.

The challenge of terrorism is ongoing. There's more work to be done, and in some countries we have to note that it's not without domestic political sensitivities.

But the leaders of the region are to be applauded for their efforts to stand up in this struggle, recognizing that these terrorists have the same designs for Southeast Asia that they have for the United States.

Let's have a round of applause for the leadership in Southeast Asia. (applause)

Beyond this central issue of terrorism, we spent much of our trip on commercial and economic matters. And we encountered a range of corporate attitudes to the region. The more sophisticated companies understand the importance of the global market, even if there are some additional challenges.

The other U.S. companies will find the challenges of new markets daunting, by virtue of real or perceived barriers, regulations, or local business practices.

So it's not our job to "sell" the region in any commercial sense. But it is our job to help U.S. companies think through these challenges and opportunities that exist in these markets.

So what's important in this exercise is not so much that the companies derive the right answer – but more that the companies are asking the right questions. So, we say in all fairness, that not every single American company properly belongs in these markets at this time. But we have to say, in the same breath, that there are thousands of U.S. companies who probably do belong in Southeast Asia and are not yet there. So we have some more missionary work to do.

Well, in addition to the work that we need to do in the U.S., it's also fair to note that there is more work to be done in Southeast Asia.

It's gratifying to see that the economic recovery in Southeast Asia, in general, came about more quickly than had been expected. But many American companies are still unsure about the pace of reforms, rationalization, trade-liberalization and so forth. So the Southeast Asians in general have a very good story to tell.

But why not take whatever extra steps can be taken to make the story even better?

Because in a crowded global market place, every step should be taken to provide the best possible operating environment for business.

So our conclusion from this trip, I think, is a simple one: that the U.S. involvement in the region is an enormously positive and enriching development – both for the countries of Southeast Asia as well as for the United States.

We all know that without the active involvement of the United States, Southeast Asia is much less likely to enjoy the security, political stability and economic growth it is seeking. And that involvement and commitment is very much in the interest of the United States as well.

So we say to our friends from Southeast Asia: The United States – as your fellow Pacific nation, a fellow member of the global anti-terrorist coalition and a leading trading partner – will not take a back seat to anyone as we all work together to shape our common future.

Ladies and gentleman, it's been a delight to take the two-week tour. It's been a delight to speak with you tonight.

Thank you very much.