US SECRETARY of state Hillary Rodham Clinton visits Asia this week on her first trip abroad as Washington’s top diplomat.
Her inaugural tour will focus on co-ordinating efforts to combat the global economic crisis, but will also deal with human rights issues in China and efforts to halt North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
Mrs Clinton’s visit began in Tokyo yesterday and will also include stops in Indonesia, South Korea and Japan. The choice of Asia as her first foreign trip, rather than a traditional stopping off point such as the Middle East, is seen as recognition of Asia’s growing importance in the world.
Countries like China and Japan have a major contribution to make in resolving the global economic crisis and Mrs Clinton will be keen to sound out the Asian leaders on their views.
She will discuss with various Asian partners how to step up efforts to resolve the nuclear stand-off on the Korean peninsula.
Last week, Mrs Clinton offered North Korea a peace treaty, normal ties and aid if it eliminated its nuclear arms programme. In a provocative statement just days before she visits Seoul, however, North Korea said it has the right to launch its longest-range missiles.
In a move underlining Washington’s close links to Tokyo, Mrs Clinton said the issue of Japanese abducted by North Korean agents would be high on her agenda. This issue has been a major impediment to ensuring Japanese support for a settlement on disarmament with Pyongyang.
Mrs Clinton visits Beijing on Friday and said she would not shy away from human rights issues, but insisted there was a broad agenda to be dealt with.
Beijing considers human rights a domestic matter and accuses critics of meddling in its affairs.
Mrs Clinton’s visit is also expected to reopen suspended contacts between the US and Chinese militaries and examine joint measures on combating global warming by the two countries – neither of which is bound by the Kyoto agreement.