Hillary R. Clinton is due to arrive in Beijing later Friday, February 20 at the final leg of her packed, Feb 15-22 Asia trip, which was launched last Sunday and took her to Japan, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea and China. This is her first overseas visit as the US Secretary of State. Hillary's Asia trip is, in fact, an important component part of the new US government's overall diplomatic strategy and a new message it has sent to the international community.

The destinations of first overseas trips by previous new US secretaries of state, like Madeleine K. Albright, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, after taking office, would usually target at traditional US allies in Europe or the Middle East region. This time, the forward move of American diplomacy in Asia, nevertheless, clearly indicates Asia's growing status and influence on the global stage and in the U.S.

Making Asia her first overseas destination is owed to the fact that the region has become a vital economic-growth engine to propel or spur the global economy, said Hillary Clinton, Asia is "a region of vital importance to the United States today and into the future."

Hillary's ongoing trip is seen as a symbolic gesture of the Obama administration's new Asia policy. One aim, she acknowledged, is "a reaffirmation of the U.S.'s political and security commitment to the region" and "a reassurance of traditional alliance ties with Japan and South Korea." Hillary Clinton underscored the US position of attaching great importance to developing stronger relations with Japan, and that the U.S. and Japan should work even harder to beef up their alliance ties.

Meanwhile, she asserted that South Korea is "one of the U.S historically staunch allies". The U.S. inspires both Japan and South Korea to contribute more to global security by taking such moves as to partake in the Afghan reconstruction and send vessels or destroyers to comate Somali Pirates.

Mrs. Clinton's visit to Indonesia has multi-layer implications: The first and the foremost is to show an important signal of goodwill to the world's most populous Muslim nation and mend the U.S.' ties with the Islamic world, especially the Muslim world. And the second implication is attributed to its important position as a "new democratic economy", a major energy exporter as well as a vital, crucial member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

During her meeting with Dr. Surim Pitsuwan, the Secretary General of the ASEAN, Hillary Clinton said that the Obama administration will officially start "the process for accession to the ASEAN-driven Treaty of Amity and Cooperation". Through this regional bloc treaty, the United States will forge even closer ties of cooperation with all ASEAN countries.

Moreover, what make her current trip to the nation very special lies in the cause that Indonesia is a country where President Obama spent part of his childhood and Jakarta is his childhood home. Hillary has capitalized on this sort of sentiment factors to get in with Indonesia, so as to draw bilateral relationship closer still.

After taking up its presidency in late January, the Obama administration defined an overall foreign policy objective, that is, to mend the impaired US global image and to restore the US worldwide leading status. While underlying the importance of its traditionaly relations with Europe, Hillary Clinton in her first-ever overseas trip as the Secretary of State intends to highlight new ideas of giving heed to Asia.

Consequently, the basic framework of U.S. global strategy is thus taken shape and surfaced. The first of all is to restore and enhance its relations with its traditional European and Asian allies so as to give scope to their role in the security realm and to help prop up the frailing U.S. leading position. Secondly, the Obama administration will also work to institute good ties of cooperation with the rising powers of merging market economies.

What worth particular mentioning here is Hillary's ensuing statement. Even with adversaries, noted Hillary, the U.S. will resort to its diplomatic priority strategy and is willing to talk to them unconditionally for the settlement of disputes. "President Obama and I are committed to a foreign policy that is neither impulsive nor ideological, one that values what others have to say," Hillary said. She also voiced her readiness to listen to others with "an attitude of respect".

By People's Daily Online

http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2009-02/20/content_196481.htm