Speeches

“United States Engagement in the East Asia-Pacific Region”
Remarks by Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold
Temasek Society Luncheon
November 9, 2006

Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen.  Thank you very much, Colonel Lim.  I’m pleased to be here today to participate in your lunch talk series.  I understand that the objective of the Temasek Society is to promote professionalism and inculcate a sense of higher purpose among your members.  That sounds very serious, but when I took a look at some photos posted on the web by members of the Society, I saw that you certainly know how to have fun as well. 

The United States and Asia

I'd like to talk this afternoon about the United States and the East Asia-Pacific region.  If you take away only three thoughts from my remarks, I hope they will be these:

• First, the United States has been a Pacific nation for two centuries.  Being an active partner in Asia is both natural for us and in our national interest.
  
• Second, our engagement in the region also pays dividends for Asia.  When observers comment on the U.S. role or profile in Asia, they do not advise us to stand down.  On the contrary, most of the time they ask us to become more involved than we already are.
  
• Third, we should celebrate that Asia is successful and that the United States shares in that success.  Building on a foundation that is already deep and strong is not headline-grabbing, but a quiet, steady process.  This process is continuing every day across the range of human activity.

Growing Benefits of our Relations

There is no doubt that the century of Asia is upon us and Asia's importance as a partner continues to rise.  As Colonel Lim just noted, this politically and economically dynamic region is home to nearly a third of the earth’s population and produces a quarter of global GDP.  The region also accounts for over US$800 billion -- that's $1.2 trillion Singapore dollars -- in two-way trade with the United States.  U.S. engagement with Asia has expanded in lockstep with the opening up of new opportunities arising from the region's growth and change.  

Asia is transforming quickly.  Successful democratic elections across the region have given more citizens a voice in their own governance.  On the economic side, the gloomy days of the Asian financial crisis are past, and an upward curve of prosperity and economic opportunity now defines the region.  Let me cite a few facts to support that statement.

• Eight of the world’s ten fastest growing economies are located here, and regional economies are moving toward greater economic openness.
  
• The United States is the number one trading partner in the region, and we are the largest or second largest partner for every major economy in Asia.
  
• Five of America’s top ten trading partners are in Asia.
  

We and our trading partners are seizing opportunities.  For example, we have signed free trade agreements with Singapore and Australia and we have launched free trade negotiations with the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Educational and cultural links are booming across the Pacific.  In Singapore, for example, there are more than fifty university exchange programs with U.S. institutions, and new connections are established nearly every month.  The number of American students studying in Asia is growing, and rising numbers of Asian students are choosing the United States for their undergraduate and graduate education.

Asia is largely at peace.  But this does not mean that we in the United States or the nations of Asia take regional security for granted.  We are working with our five traditional allies -- Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Australia, and Thailand -- to meet the challenges of the modern age.

In addition, the United States is an active security partner with many countries across the region, with an impressive schedule of military training activities and exercises.  In recent years, our efforts have reflected a new focus on peacekeeping and humanitarian disaster response, and we are particularly proud of our contributions to multinational disaster relief efforts.

Growing regional cooperation is offering new avenues for productive collaboration between the United States and Asia.  The emergence of new patterns of cooperation are sure evidence of the durability of our interests and the adaptability of the instruments we deploy to achieve them.

The region is coming together – politically, socially, and economically – through institutions such as ASEAN, APEC, the ASEAN Regional Forum, and the Pacific Island Forum.  We are pleased to work with and in these organizations as well as the multitude of sub-regional programs and activities.

I'll cite just a few of the areas where we are working on matters of common interest through groups defined by geography or by issues.

• For example, we continue to strengthen our collective ability to counter terrorism by building partnerships throughout Asia.  Through APEC, the region's economies have promoted immensely valuable programs such as Secure Trade in the APEC Region and the Regional Movement Alert List.  Next week in Hanoi, APEC heads of state will meet again.  President Bush will be there, signifying the United States’ strong commitment.
  
• The region is also addressing other transnational problems in a determined fashion.  Ministerial-level conferences have tackled issues such as trafficking in persons and money laundering.  APEC and other forums are working on detecting pandemics and designing responses.  The Governments of Singapore and the United States have established the Regional Emerging Diseases Intervention (or REDI) Center here to promote detection, prevention, and response throughout the APEC region.
  
• A third example is the collaboration through which Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore – working with the International Maritime Organization -- have designed approaches to safety, security, and the rule of law in the Strait of Malacca.  These approaches address a broad range of problems such as piracy, people smuggling, narcotics trafficking, and terrorism.  The United States joins other user states in supporting the littoral nations' efforts.

Areas of Concern

Of course, there are issues of particular urgency and seriousness in every region of the world.  The United States is actively engaged in efforts to address potential hot spots and hot issues.  Our involvement is a natural component of our interest in peace, stability, and welfare in the region.  The concerned parties and populations of Asia broadly encourage United States’ involvement when it supports the positive trends that have already emerged or adds extra leverage to prevent hostilities from erupting.

I’d like to spend a few moments touching upon a few key issues.

North Korea and the Six-Party Talks

Starting in the north, on the Korean peninsula.  As you know, the U.S. objective remains the elimination of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons programs through the multilateral diplomacy of the Six-Party Talks.   Following North Korea’s nuclear test on October 9^th, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1718.  The Resolution calls upon North Korea to return to the Six-Party Talks without precondition and requires North Korea to abandon verifiably and irreversibly all of its weapons of mass destructions programs - including all nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs.

The unanimous adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718 shows that the world is united in condemning the actions taken by the North Korean regime. By taking clear, firm, and punitive action, we have sent a very strong signal to North Korea that continuing on this path can only lead to further isolation.

We welcome the announcement last week that North Korea plans to return to the Six-Party Talks, and expect the Talks to resume later this year.  With the Six-Party Talks, we have in place the right approach, with the right regional partners, giving North Korea the basis to choose the path that is firmly in its best interest -- the path to a positive future for the North Korean people and to a new relationship with the international community.

China and Taiwan

For seven consecutive U.S. administrations, the United States has encouraged China’s integration into the global system.  Our policy combines active engagement to maximize areas of common interest and cooperation, along with a recognition that we need to maintain strong U.S. regional capabilities in case China does not move eventually down a path consistent with our interests.

As our relationship with China continues to expand, we encourage China to join us in actions to strengthen and support the global system that provides peace, security and prosperity to China, to America, and to the rest of the world.  As President Bush said when he welcomed Chinese President Hu Jintao to Washington in April, the United States welcomes the emergence of a China that is peaceful and prosperous, and that actively participates in and contributes to international institutions.

Of course, the cross-Strait issue is particularly sensitive.  Maintaining cross-Strait peace and stability is vital for the security and prosperity of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the rest of the region, and the United States.  Our "one China" policy remains the basis upon which all interested parties can promote stability and conditions that can eventually lead to a peaceful resolution.  In the 1979 Joint Communiqué which established diplomatic relations with Beijing, the United States acknowledged the Chinese position that there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China.  The United States opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo as we define it.  We have an abiding interest in the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait differences, and we believe it is up to the leaders in Beijing and Taipei to resolve differences, reduce tensions, and build confidence through direct dialogue with each other.

Burma

Turning further south, let me say a few words about Burma.  For over forty years, its military's inward-looking and misguided policies have led to a precipitous deterioration in the political, humanitarian, and socioeconomic conditions in that country.  Once it was the star of Southeast Asia; Burma now is the source of ills that pose risks for the entire region, including drugs, cross-border migration, and infectious diseases.

The only long-term solution to Burma’s problems is real political reform that leads to responsible governance.  The United States in September sponsored the successful motion to place Burma on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council, and we continue to consult closely with ASEAN members and other partners in the region.  We acknowledge and understand the increased frustration felt by ASEAN members at the regime’s intransigence, but we encourage ASEAN to stay the course and continue to press the Burmese regime to implement needed reforms.  Should the regime take steps in this direction, we and others in the international community would be prepared to respond positively.

Building on Strong Foundations

I would like to turn now to my earlier point about the quiet but steady work of building upon strong foundations.  To illustrate the point, let’s take a brief look at U.S. relations with Southeast Asia in general and Singapore in particular.   I hope you will agree that, even if adding building blocks to a sturdy foundation may not generate headlines, it does add up to something bigger and stronger every day.

ASEAN

Our founding membership in the ASEAN Regional Forum (or ARF) has long been the centerpiece of our interaction with Southeast Asia.  We have addressed a broad range of traditional and non-traditional security concerns through the framework of the ARF, including non-proliferation, maritime security, and humanitarian crises.  Today, the renewed dynamism evident throughout Southeast Asia is mirrored by a reinvigoration of ASEAN-U.S. ties, and our relations with ASEAN are expanding both quantitatively and qualitatively, regionally and bilaterally.  We’re working together to expand economic opportunity, fight corruption, combat terrorism, provide security, and safeguard our populations' health.

A year ago, President Bush and ASEAN leaders announced the Joint Vision Statement on the ASEAN – U.S. Enhanced Partnership.  At the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference meeting in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, Secretary of State Rice and the ASEAN Ministers signed the Plan of Action for the Enhanced Partnership.  This comprehensive, action-oriented initiative addresses all areas of mutual interest in our expanding relationship, including economic, educational, cultural, and security cooperation.  We look forward to working with Singapore, the new ASEAN Country Coordinator for the United States, to implement the Plan of Action.

Singapore

Now I’d like to touch on our bilateral relations with Singapore, which are at a historic high point.  We are not treaty allies with Singapore, but we are partners.   Our partnership is based on historic friendship, common interests, substantial trade and investment ties, shared strategic perspectives, and unremitting efforts to expand cooperation where it benefits us both.

Our relationship is bound by a web of important bilateral agreements, among them the Free Trade Agreement and the Strategic Framework Agreement.  Since the FTA entered into force in January 2004, two-way trade has expanded by over ten percent.  Remarkably, U.S. exports to Singapore’s 4.3 million people are about one-half of our exports to China’s 1.3 billion people.  The amount of U.S. foreign direct investment in Singapore is more than double our foreign direct investment in China.  Major U.S. investors here include Seagate in electronics, ExxonMobil in petroleum, Pfizer in pharmaceuticals, and Pratt & Whitney in aviation.  Additionally, the United States is welcoming growing amounts of Singaporean investment to our shores.

The Strategic Framework Agreement, the SFA, highlights the close and growing security relationship between the United States and Singapore.  The SFA was signed by President Bush and Prime Minister Lee in July of 2005, and it recognizes our shared interest in regional stability and provides the foundation for cooperation across the range of security issues.  As with the Free Trade Agreement, the SFA makes a good working relationship even better.  We regularly conduct bilateral exercises with the Republic of Singapore Armed Forces, and they train extensively in the United States.  The importance of the familiarity, inter-operability, and access afforded by our close relationship was demonstrated during the Indian Ocean tsunami relief as well as by Singapore’s assistance to us during Hurricane Katrina last year.

We also work closely together to promote security in and beyond Asia.  Singapore is a leader in adopting high-tech solutions for cargo and passenger screening, and strongly supports non-proliferation and trade security initiatives.  Singapore is an active member in counterproliferation programs such as the Proliferation Security Initiative, and was the first country in Asia to join the Container Security Initiative and the Department of Energy’s Megaports Initiative.  Singapore works with its neighbors to enhance security in the Malacca Strait, to the benefit of all users, including the United States.

The growth of our bilateral relationship multiplies opportunities for contact between Americans and Singaporeans.  About 14,000 Americans live in Singapore, and the number of Singaporeans applying for work or student visas to the United States continues to grow.  This past fiscal year more Singapore students obtained visas to study in the United States than at any time this century, topping even pre-9/11 levels.  More than 5,000 Singaporeans work or study in the United States, and Singapore travelers accounted for more than 80,000 entries to the United States on the Visa Waiver Program last year.

Lastly, I should mention that senior officials from the United States and Singapore meet regularly.  As you’ve likely heard, President Bush will visit Singapore next week.  We look forward to welcoming President and Mrs. Bush on their second visit to Singapore.  Last month, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew visited the United States, and it was my pleasure to attend with him his meetings in Washington with the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and Treasury Secretary.  The Minister Mentor also received the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service at a lovely dinner ceremony in New York, an event at which Lee Seng Wee was also honored with the Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship.  Singaporeans did themselves proud last month in the United States.  This past June, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong visited the United States, and I’ve already referenced Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit in July of 2005.  These visits reflect the strong bilateral relations between our countries.

Conclusion

It probably goes against human nature, and certainly against the daily news cycle, to take time to quietly savor success.  But I think Asia has a great deal to celebrate and we certainly enjoy being part of the good news, unheralded as it sometimes is.  Relations between the United States and Asia will continue to expand and strengthen -- because of the irrepressible dynamism on both sides of the Pacific and because of our convergent interests.

Thank you for inviting me to join you this afternoon.  It’s been a pleasure to have the opportunity to talk about our committed involvement in the East Asia-Pacific region.  I look forward to continuing the conversation over lunch.