"CEAC Commentary" introduces news analyses andopinions in Japan on the concept of an East AsianCommunity, but they do not represent the views ofCEAC as an institution.
November 13, 2007

What’s missing in Hillary’s Strategy for Asia
By KAWATO Akio
I read Hillary Clinton’s essay on foreign policy in Foreign Affairs. It describes thediplomatic strategy she would pursue in the event that she takes over theadministration. Although she makes many references to controversial topics such as theIraq and North Korea issues, the essay doesn’t perceive Asia comprehensively. She only
mentions countries such as China, India, Australia and Japan individually, and it’s hard tosee an organic, integral strategy for Asia. The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the membersof the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are greatly expanding theirreach in Asia; their involvement is indispensable for Asia’s stability and prosperity.
Taiwan is also enjoying a high level of freedom and democracy. Yet, her essay doesn’t
pay any attention to these countries and area. Or is it her strategy to let China take care ofAsia, as per her statement that “the U.S. relationship with China is the most importantbilateral relationship in the world”?
She speaks about the need to restore faith in the traditional values of the U.S.,
including freedom and democracy. As one aspect of that, she makes an appeal for
reinforcing the Atlantic alliance, but her strategy for maintaining or expanding freedom
and democracy in Asia remains unclear. For example, I can not figure out how she
positions Japan’s role within the entire American strategy in Asia. In fact, she only makes
two brief mentions of Japan in the entirety of the long paper. Japan is a stronghold of
democracy and market economy in Asia. It provides for the US a number of important air,naval, and marine bases; a guarantee for the maintenance of the status quo in Asia. Whatis more, Japan bears costs of 6 billion dollars annually, or two thirds of the expenses forthe maintenance of U.S. forces in those bases.
Hillary Clinton dedicates a large portion of her essay to discussing the North
Korean issue, an immediate diplomatic task for the U.S. She praises China’s contribution
in negotiations with North Korea. She writes, “We should build on North Korean
denuclearization to establish a Northeast Asian security regime.” This logic of creating asecurity regime in Northeast Asia with the Six-Party Talks as its basis is a recent trend inthe U.S. You can see lots of papers carrying on their discussions following this samelogic. Basically I welcome this move. We do need a stream-lined mechanism in which wecan engage China in a collective discussion on security in Asia. However, if this movereflects an intention on the American part to distance itself from direct involvement in theissues in Asia, I cannot agree. And U.S. will have to pay a high price for such a policy.
True, China was helpful in North Korean issue. But its involvement in the Myanmar
incident impressed us that we cannot depend upon China when it matters freedom,democracy and genuine market economy. The less the U.S. involves itself in Asia today,
the more they will lose in Asia tomorrow.
In the meantime, Japan ought to present alternatives. Though there is absolutely noneed to change the Japan-U.S. alliance particularly in view of the global resurgence ofRussian power. However, we need to institutionalize a new collective mechanism forsecurity discussions in Asia, and China should be a member of such a mechanism. Such amechanism should be geographically more comprehensive and organic than the Six-PartyTalks. Southeast Asia, that is to say ASEAN, should also be brought into the membershipof such a mechanism. In the same vein, we should realize that the U.S.’s participation inany discussions on the building of an East Asia community is indispensable. The
economic development of East Asian countries depends on exports to the U.S., so wecannot be so endlessly stuck to Mahathir-like Asian supremacist policies.
(This is the original text written for CEAC Commentary by Mr. KAWATO Akio, General
Manager of Japan-World Trends.)