U.S. Priorities in East Asia and the Pacific: a Briefing with Secretary Daniel Russel
Autor: Vasco de Jesus | Publicado: 2015-10-02T23:22:00-03:00




ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EAST ASIAN AND PACIFIC AFFAIRS DANIEL RUSSEL

&nbsp;Good morning, and welcome to the Foreign Press Center. &nbsp;We’re honored to welcome today Assistant Secretary for East Asian Pacific Daniel Russel. &nbsp;After the assistant secretary’s remarks, we’ll have a time for some Q&amp;A. &nbsp;We do request that you state your name and media affiliation, and we’ll also be taking questions from Washington, D.C. by a digital video conference. &nbsp;Thank you very much.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RUSSEL: &nbsp;Thanks. &nbsp;Well, hello, everybody. &nbsp;It’s great to be back in New York, as always; I’m a New Yorker. &nbsp;And hello to our friends and colleagues in Washington, D.C.We’ve had a very busy and I think a very productive week here at the UN with the opening of theGeneral Assembly. &nbsp;It’s been a productive series of days with respect to our diplomacy in the Asia Pacific region. &nbsp;The President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, top State Department officials, myself, have all been working here with our partners in Asia and the &nbsp;Pacific on the issues that are of greatest concern to the American people. &nbsp;And this reflects the continued evolution and vitality of the rebalance. 

We’re addressing challenges and concerns thatmatter, frankly, to all of us. &nbsp;Let me give you, if I can, a quick snapshot of some of the work that we’ve engaged in. &nbsp;In terms of addressing global challenges, the President participated in several important leader summits and multilateral summits on peacekeeping, on countering ISIL and violent extremism. &nbsp;And theseare meetings that included the active participation and the significant contribution of a number ofcountries from the Asia-Pacific region. &nbsp;The peacekeeping summit, for example, included quite a few countries from East Asia and the Pacific who I think in aggregate pledged in excess of 10,000 peacekeepers and made very significant financial contributions.In the summit of the counter-ISIL and counter violent extremism members, countries from the East Asia and the Pacific region renewed their commitment to make progress, including and importantly, by engaging civil society, engaging religious leaders throughout the region and in undertaking projects. &nbsp;One that’s under active consideration is the stationing of a messaging center in Malaysia, for example. 

And the goal is to try to give voice to those voices of moderation who need to be heard in the face of a flawed and dangerous ideology.On the regional front, the Secretary had a very productive meeting with the 10 foreign ministers from the ASEAN countries. &nbsp;This is a regular feature of what the Secretary of State does during UNGA, and it’s valuable in a number of respects. &nbsp;The Secretary and the foreign ministers were able to dig down on important issues like maritime security, particularly the situation in the South China Sea. &nbsp;They were able to discuss in some depth issues regarding the oceans and the challenges that will be taken up next week in Santiago at the Oceans Conference – things like illegal and unreported, unregulated fishing; things like, of course, the big project that we’re all engaged in in the run-up to the Paris Climate Conference addressing global warming. &nbsp;And they also were able to consult on the recurring problem of irregular migration – the problem of migrants from Bangladesh and from Myanmar – from Burma – which the region dealt with earlier in the year in May, and which, unfortunately, it appears we may have to deal with yet again when the rainy season ends.We also held a meeting that I attended with Todd Stern, our special envoy on climate, and Ambassador Samantha Power, UN perm rep, with the foreign ministers and representatives of the Pacific Island states. 

These are nations with whom the United States has very close partnerships, but nations also that are most directly and grievously affected by the consequences of global warming. &nbsp;They’re also important stakeholders in the global effort to preserve our oceans and to deal with the problems really regarding – that I’ve mentioned regarding illegal andunregulated fishing.There were a large number of trilateral meetings this year, and I think that reflects America’s support for a kind of flexible geometry of collaboration among countries that share important goals and common values. &nbsp;First and foremost is another session of the trilateral that the Secretary chaired with the Japanese and the Korean foreign ministers. &nbsp;This is one of the regular trilaterals. &nbsp;It’s also one of the most important and one of the most productive. &nbsp;It allows for very close coordination among our closest allies in Northeast Asia. 

And it enabled the three ministers to compare notes and to consult closely on the issues regardingNorth Korea, particularly North Korea’s continued violation of the UN Security Council resolutions, its ongoing efforts to develop nuclear and missile capabilities in defiance of those regulations1, and also the problematic human rights situation in North Korea as well. &nbsp;There wereother regional and global issues that the three ministers were able to touch upon. &nbsp;They’re in regular touch, and I know that the two foreign ministers from Japan and Korea followed up with – the next day with their own bilateral meeting. For the very first time, Secretary Kerry participated in a trilateral with both the Japanese and the Indian foreign minister. &nbsp;That focused, among other things, on the convergence among three of the world’s largest democracies, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. &nbsp;The vehicle for our closepolitical and security coordination on matters pertaining to East Asia is, of course, the East Asia Summit. &nbsp;And they were able to exchange views both about what the professionals call architecture – the structure of interaction with ASEAN at the center, but also some of the issues that are high on the agenda of the East Asia Summit.

At a slightly less exalted level, we held the trilateral meeting among Australia, Japan, and the United States – what we call the Trilateral Security Dialogue or TSD – which sometimes meets at the secretarial level, sometimes meets at my level, and on occasion meets at leaders level as well. &nbsp;This meeting included the participation of Ambassador Tom Shannon, the counselor of the State Department, who President Obama has nominated to succeed Wendy Sherman as our new under secretary of state for political affairs. &nbsp;So in this meeting and elsewhere, Tom, who’s not

(1 &nbsp;The Assistant Secretary intended to say “resolutions,” “not regulations.” ).

only a dear friend of mine but one of America’s most distinguished diplomats, was able to participate, and that’s something that we value a great deal.I co-chaired a meeting with my Japanese counterpart and with the foreign minister of Mongolia, a U.S.-Japan-Mongolia trilateral. &nbsp;Here again, three important democracies and what I call Mongolia’s two best second neighbors – third neighbors, I guess I should say. &nbsp;We were able to have a very, very fruitful and productive exchange on a range of issues there. &nbsp;And then lastly on the bilateral front, I joined Vice President Biden and others, including our Trade Representative Mike Froman, earlier in the week for a very valuable consultation with the Japanese prime minister, Prime Minister Abe, that allowed for a full discussion across a range of political and trade issues. &nbsp;And I joined, of course, Secretary Kerry’s meetings. &nbsp;He had bilateral meetings with the Sultan of Brunei, an important TPP partner, a member of ASEAN, of course, and a good friend of the United States. 

He met bilaterally this morning with the foreign minister of Myanmar, Wunna Maung Lwin, and was able to get an update on preparations for the Burmese elections as well as consult on important issues like the irregular migration problem andhuman rights.Other U.S. officials – Deputy Secretary Tony Blinken and a variety of others, including myself – separately had bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers or the vice foreign ministers or, in some cases, the presidents of a number of countries in the region – Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Laos, Malaysia, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands –and in addition, I certainly had opportunities for contact, as I know did the Secretary and, for thatmatter, President Obama, with a number of other representatives from Asia.

Now, there’s a lot going on. &nbsp;We had a very productive week, as I said. &nbsp;This week comes directlyon the heels of the important, in-depth conversations that President Obama and other top officialshad with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, in Washington late last week. &nbsp;And we’re not slowingdown. &nbsp;Our Deputy Secretary, Tony Blinken, is leaving this weekend for consultations in Northeast Asia – first in Tokyo, then in Seoul, then in Beijing. &nbsp;I will be leaving myself next week to go out to Malaysia for the senior officials meeting organized by ASEAN, in which I’ll have a chance to meet not only with my counterparts from the 10 Southeast Asian nations but also counterparts from China, from Japan, from India, from Australia, New Zealand, the ROK – the countries that are represented in the East Asia Summit. 

And one of the important things we will be doing is preparing for November, when our leaders, after having attended APEC in Manila, go to Kuala Lumpur for the EAS. &nbsp;We in October are alsopreparing in Washington for – and elsewhere for visits: the visit of the Korean president, the visitof the Indonesian president. &nbsp;We’re expecting consultations with our Australian counterparts at the secretaries level. &nbsp;There’s a lot on the agenda as pertains to Asia, and with that, let me open the floor for questions.

QUESTION: &nbsp;Thank you for briefing. &nbsp;I am Moeko from Tokyo Broadcasting System. &nbsp;I have a question on the trilateral meeting with Japan and Mongolia. &nbsp;Was there DPRK on the table to be discussed, and if so, could you give us a little bit more detail on what has been talked?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RUSSEL: &nbsp;Let me dip down into my memory bank, because we had quite a few – we had quite a few meetings. &nbsp;I was recently in Mongolia, and I had bilateral consultations there and was able to discuss with Foreign Minister Purevsuren and other senior officials a number of regional issues, including the challenge that is presented by North Korea. &nbsp;If my memory serves me right, we may have touched on North Korea as a regional matter, but I wouldn’t describe it as the focus.

We talked about the challenges that Mongolia faces both strategically and economically. &nbsp;We hadan extensive discussion about how as major investors and economies, the United States and Japan can support reforms, can support the improved investment climate in Mongolia. &nbsp;We commended Mongolia’s just unremitting fidelity to democracy and discussed what the Mongolians do and how valuable we see it in democracy promotion around the world. &nbsp;Now, it’llbe a long time before we see democracy promotion in North Korea, but – unfortunately – but we are seeing an important contribution made by the Mongolians, who stand as a great model of political reform with countries like Myanmar who are approaching their own elections and have a lot to learn from the Mongolians.

QUESTION: &nbsp;Thank you.

QUESTION: &nbsp;Sorry, just one thing. &nbsp;Thanks. &nbsp;Reportedly, United States and Japan, they are seeking Mongolia to be kind of mitigator in the North Korean issues. &nbsp;Is that true?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RUSSEL: &nbsp;No. &nbsp;The United States and Japan each have our own respective channels for communicating with the DPRK. &nbsp;The problem isn’t that we lack a vehiclefor communicating with the North Koreans. &nbsp;The problem is that the North Koreans refuse either to negotiate on the nuclear issue or to honor the commitments that they have already made in previous rounds of negotiations. 

Now that’s not to say that there isn’t a constructive role for Mongolia as a democracy, as a neighbor, and as hopefully a role model for the DPRK. &nbsp;But it’s not as – it’s not as a mediator. &nbsp;Now, I know that President Elbegdorj visited North Korea some time ago, and I think there’s great value in the direct – if not blunt – message that he conveyed, speaking as someone who knows, after an extended period of communist dictatorship, that reform – both political and economic reform brings immense benefits and brings greater security. &nbsp;I hope the North Koreans were listening.

QUESTION: &nbsp;Hi. &nbsp;Thank you. &nbsp;Thanks for coming to New York. &nbsp;Jane with China Sina News. &nbsp;First of all, yesterday in UN, Russia has trying to clear all the error from the U.S. on the accusation of the airstrike. &nbsp;How do you answer that people are saying that Putin’s military actionis a diversionary strategy to take attention away from Ukraine and could it expect any sort of cooperation between U.S. and Russians on – in Syria? &nbsp;And I have to ask about President Xi’s visit. &nbsp;Chinese ambassador noticed that each stop will have some surprises. &nbsp;Did you see the surprises from his visit, and – or it’s all go under your predicted? &nbsp;Thank you.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RUSSEL: &nbsp;Well, on the first question, I will respectfully defer to my esteemed colleague, Admiral John Kirby, the spokesman of the State Department. &nbsp;I’m not the official responsible for either Russia or Syria, so I don’t have any light to shed on that.I’ll also ask Ambassador Cui Tiankai to speak for himself as to what he had in mind in terms of surprises at each juncture.As someone who was actively involved in the preparations for the visit by President Xi, I can attest to the fact that we worked very hard to avoid surprises. &nbsp;And for that purpose, as did other officials, I traveled to China at the very beginning of this month, and I spent considerable time inBeijing meeting with the foreign ministry officials, various counterparts, talking through the agenda and working on the substance of what it is that we thought that the two leaders should be discussing in which meeting; what sorts of messages we thought it would be desirable for President Xi to articulate in his various public engagements; and the outcomes and deliverables, the results, the accomplishments that our respective agencies and bureaucracies had been working on that could be brought to conclusion and ratified by our two presidents.We got a lot done. 

In my view, the most important aspect of the consultations that our leaders held in Washington last Thursday and Friday was the opportunity for the two presidents to speak directly, candidly, constructively on the problem areas. &nbsp;The two sides worked hard on our&nbsp;differences, because we are not reconciled with simply agreeing to disagree. &nbsp;There are significant friction points in the interaction between China and the United States. &nbsp;Whether they are bilateral issues or whether they are global issues, those friction points need to be addressed forthrightly by both sides. &nbsp;On the issue of cyber, as you saw, the Chinese leader made very important commitments, and wehave now an expanded mechanism whereby we can pursue those issues and help to ensure by working together that those commitments are fulfilled. &nbsp;The Chinese president took home, I know, new and clearer awareness of the deep concerns on the part of not only the U.S. Government but also of the U.S. business community and the NGO, think tank, journalistic, and academic community about the possible impact that some draft legislation, like the NGO management law or other draft laws and policies, would have on our citizens, on our organizations, on our companies, and frankly, on the U.S.-China relationship. &nbsp;And as a result, it is certainly my hope that we will see our concerns taken into account in the way that the Chinese authorities treat U.S. companies and their proprietary information and technology and the way that journalists and academics and others are treated inside China.A third really important area of difference and concern has been the behavior of China in the South China Sea. 

And while we have made very clear consistently that the U.S. takes no position on the underlying sovereignty of claims – in other words, we don’t say that land feature X belongs to China or belongs to Vietnam or Philippines, because we don’t make judgments&nbsp;about the merits of a country’s claims – that mustn’t be confused with not having any position onthe behavior of the countries in a sensitive region like the South China Sea. &nbsp;We have very strongviews. &nbsp;That shouldn’t be confused with not having a position on international law and universal rights such as freedom of navigation and overflight. &nbsp;That is a right that’s inherent to every state, not a right that is granted, and certainly not something that should be denied by any one country – similarly, the right of unimpeded lawful commerce. 

It also shouldn’t be confused with the fact that we do take a position that all claims by all claimants should be made in ways that are fully consistent with international law, including and particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. &nbsp;Now, President Xi Jinping made what I consider to be important statements in his press availability with President Obama on Friday in the Rose Garden. &nbsp;He affirmed China’s commitment to peaceful and diplomatic resolution of problems. &nbsp;That’s an important commitment. &nbsp;The issue of the nine-dash line, for example, is a matter of consideration by the tribunal under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and there will be a decision forthcoming on jurisdiction. &nbsp;Should that decision affirm that the tribunal has jurisdiction over the case brought by the Philippines then the parties will be heading towards an arbitral decision. &nbsp;That decision under the treaty is equally binding on China and on the Philippines, and as a matter of international law the United States and the international community expects both countries to honor their treaty obligations.

The last point I would make is that we, of course, heard an important statement by President Xi Jinping when he said that China has no intention of militarizing islands or outposts in the South China Sea, in the Spratlys. &nbsp;That, I believe, offered reassurance and encouragement to China’s neighbors, none of whom want to see a continuation of Chinese large-scale construction on theseoutposts, let alone the deployment of military assets. 

If in fact, as President Xi has said, China’s committed to a peaceful resolution of any dispute and has no intention of militarizing its outposts, I believe that the room for settlement and for the conclusion of agreements, whether they’re bilateral agreements or wherever they’re a code of conduct, will rapidly expand. &nbsp;And naturally, we will, as others will, be discussing in detail with the Chinese the steps that they are taking and will take to ensure that they are in no way militarizing the land features that they are – that they have built by dredging sand from the SouthChina Sea.

MODERATOR: &nbsp;Let’s take a question from Washington. &nbsp;Go ahead, Washington.

QUESTION: &nbsp;Hi. &nbsp;Thank you very much for having this briefing. &nbsp;My name is Alicia Rose with NHK. &nbsp;The U.S. and China, as you mention, recently came to an agreement that neither government will conduct cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property. &nbsp;My question is on what ledto this agreement. &nbsp;In particular, there have been reports that Ambassador Rice met with Chinese counterparts in Beijing, where she warned that approximately 25 Chinese state-owned enterprises were under threat of U.S. sanctions for conducting cyber theft against U.S. companies. &nbsp;Is that correct?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RUSSEL: &nbsp;Well, I’m not the right person to brief on the confidential discussions that our national security advisor had in Beijing. &nbsp;But I myself have discussed the problem of state-sponsored, cyber-enabled theft by China of proprietary corporate information from U.S. companies that is then transferred and in some cases marketized. &nbsp;That is aproblem that the President and the Secretary of State and other senior officials have been very direct in flagging for the Chinese as unacceptable behavior.

In response to the strong concerns that we have conveyed consistently about that behavior, and inadvance of the visit to Washington by the President Xi, the Chinese Government proposed to send to Washington a very senior official, their secretary that – who oversees their law&nbsp;enforcement and intelligence activities, Meng Jianzhu, and the U.S. side agreed. &nbsp;Secretary Mengled a high-level delegation with a broad spectrum of senior representatives from relevant agencies to Washington, and over the course of two-plus days had in-depth conversations with a U.S. team led by the Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, but that – meetings that also included conversations with Secretary Kerry and with Susan Rice.

I think you can see from the agreements that were announced during President Xi’s visit that the Chinese side took American concerns seriously. &nbsp;They had heard in Seattle as well from high-tech business leaders, from industry representatives, and from the Secretary of Commerce, PennyPritzker, more concerns about the negative impact that cyber intrusions and particularly cyber-enabled economic threat – theft was having on our bilateral relationship.

I can’t top what President Obama himself said on this issue, so I won’t try. &nbsp;But I flag for you the fact that he stated very clearly to President Xi as they stood together at the podium that the United States is watching closely to see that, in fact, China is honoring the obligations that they have undertaken in this new agreement.

QUESTION: &nbsp;Thank you.

QUESTION: &nbsp;My name is Manik Mehta. &nbsp;I’m syndicated in Asia, also in Malaysia, India, et cetera. &nbsp;You are headed for Malaysia next week. &nbsp;Could you give some details of what you intenddoing there, and whom are you meeting? &nbsp;Also, could you clarify what this messaging center is about in Kuala Lumpur?If I may also add another question – this is in regard to the trilateral meeting between U.S., Japan, and India. &nbsp;Is this a precursor to the formation of an alliance in the future? &nbsp;Thank you.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RUSSEL: &nbsp;Great. &nbsp;Thank you. &nbsp;I am going to Kuala Lumpur to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summit senior officials meetings. &nbsp;This is part of the regular preparatory process that we’re engaged in year-in and year-out in preparing for the annual leaders summit. &nbsp;So in the multilateral meetings we will discuss the agenda for the U.S.-ASEAN Leaders Meeting. &nbsp;We’ll discuss the agenda for the East Asia Summit meeting. &nbsp;And we’ll also talk more about the substance and how – for example, on the issue of the South China Sea, how the member states of the EAS – which, of course, importantly include all of the claimants and particularly China, but also include important security partners such as the United States – how collectively we can help to ensure that the tensions are resolved expeditiously and that the disputes also are managed in a way that’s fully compliant with international law and with good diplomatic and good neighborly principles.

I will also have the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with many of the partner and ASEAN countries. &nbsp;The – I was able to meet with a number of the vice foreign ministers or senior official counterparts in New York, but I’ll pick up on meetings with the others. &nbsp;Now, when I’m in Malaysia, ordinarily I will meet with a range of senior government officials as well as representatives of civil society, consult with our outstanding embassy in KL, and meet with political leaders from the opposition and try to get in contact with a broad section of Malaysia society.

Now, as it happens, I have had the opportunity to be in meetings and to speak at considerable length in Washington and now in New York with Foreign Minister Anifah and with Prime Minister Najib as well. &nbsp;And so I don’t think I necessarily need to repeat those meetings, but I will certainly meet with civil society and with representative members of the political spectrum in Malaysia.

There is no decision, no final decision on a messaging center, but Malaysia is a leading candidateto serve as the host2. &nbsp;There already is a messaging center in the UAE, and what it offers I think is a hub for the regions in which likeminded countries – and particularly civil society leaders andreligious leaders – can ensure that via traditional and social media means, a moderate and more credible set of messages is delivered to the broad public that counter the distorted messaging being broadcast by ISIL.

On your last question, the United States and Japan already have an alliance, and the consultation among these three great countries and three great democracies – India, Japan, and the United States – do include discussions of some security issues. &nbsp;But those issues are those that are fully appropriate for countries that have common interests as we do in addressing disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, and otherwise enhancing our ability to respond to disasters. &nbsp;That’s one of the reasons that, although the U.S. and India don’t have a military alliance, we do have an important annual exercise, the Malabar Exercise – hence we invited Japan to participate in that.

But this represents only one fraction of the breadth and the depth of our collective interests, and the discussions touched on a wide range of issues pertaining to good governance, promotion of universal rights and law, the broader trends in the Indo-Asia Pacific region, the economy, regional connectivity, and multiple ways in which we can support Prime Minister Modi’s Act East policies and work to the common interest. &nbsp;Thank you.

MODERATOR: &nbsp;Okay, I think this will have to be our last question. &nbsp;Do you want to give it to Rong?

QUESTION: &nbsp;Rong Shi from Voice of America. &nbsp;We don’t see a joint statement issued after the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit, after the summit with President Obama, only see a achievement list. &nbsp;Is that because of lack of a positive result or cannot solve the difference between the two country?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RUSSEL: &nbsp;No, to the contrary. &nbsp;The United States issued a fact sheet. &nbsp;The Chinese, via their official press, gave a full readout. &nbsp;We issued a joint statement on climate. &nbsp;We signed a memorandum of understanding on coordinating humanitarian assistance. &nbsp;No, there was without a doubt a very rich menu of accomplishments on the issues that I just mentioned, as well as on the economic front, where again there was yet another statement; on ourmilitary-to-military relations, which included out of this visit a further step forward in the form of an annex covering air-to-air encounters to the MOU that was previously signed. &nbsp;We announced significant progress in our people-to-people relationship, both in terms of tourism promotion and in terms of language training. &nbsp;So without a doubt, this was a very rich and fruitful set of meetings.

( 2 The Assistant Secretary intended to add that Malaysia is a leading candidate to host a hub for the region.).

If there’s a non-China question, I think we will take one last one.

MODERATOR: &nbsp;Do we have any non-China questions? &nbsp;(Laughter.) &nbsp;Washington? &nbsp;China-related?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RUSSEL: &nbsp;No? &nbsp;No. &nbsp;All right. &nbsp;Well, in that case, let’s declare victory.

MODERATOR: &nbsp;All right. &nbsp;Thank you for attending.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY RUSSEL: &nbsp;Thank you. &nbsp;Thank you all. &nbsp;Glad you could come.

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&nbsp;U.S. PRIORITIES IN EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC FOR UNGA 70
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015, 11:00 A.M. EDT
NEW YORK
FOREIGN PRESS CENTER, 799 UNITED NATIONS PLAZA, 10TH FLOOR