Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A Friendly Asian Visit by Hillary Clinton?

Is the Hillary Clinton's visit to the Asian countries a friendly visit or a provocation to the neighbor of her host countries? or is it a pre- President election tour to boost her image?

The provocation to the host country's neighbor is not part of the Asian culture, any Asian visited their host will not like to talk about an issue which will offense their neighbor openly. By providing sweets to the host to create confrontation or conflicts with the neighbor, is never the culture of a visitor in Asia. This is an insult to the host especially when the host is having good relationship with the neighbor. It is never a Asian culture, the said act is a non respect to Asian culture.

The following is extract from The Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704141104575587910123633380.html

PHNOM PENH—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed Cambodia to remain independent of China on economic and environmental issues, as she continued a pan-Asian tour aimed at expanding Washington's diplomatic influence in the region.

Mrs. Clinton told Cambodian officials Monday that the Obama administration is willing to explore new mechanisms through which to retire nearly $450 million in debt accrued by Phnom Penh's Vietnam War-era government.

Mrs. Clinton also told Prime Minister Hun Sen's government that she will seek to raise more funding for a United Nations-backed tribunal set to try leaders of the Khmer Rouge government that committed genocide in Cambodia during its 1975-1979 reign.

Cambodia marks the third country stop on the Mrs. Clinton's seven-nation Asia-Pacific tour, which is aimed at enhancing the nation's presence in a region increasingly under the influence of China's economy and military.

On Saturday, Mrs. Clinton attended a regional conference in Vietnam that was dominated by China's festering maritime disputes with Japan and a number of Southeast Asian countries. The U.S.'s top diplomat urged the attendees of the East Asia Summit to establish an international legal process through which to mediate these disputes, drawing the ire of Beijing, which views all of the South China Sea as sovereign Chinese territory.

U.S. officials privately worry that Cambodia is one of the Southeast Asian nations most under Beijing's sway. China is among Phnom Penh's largest single aid donors, and Chinese firms dominate Cambodia's infrastructure sector. Prime Minister Hun Sen has often sided with Beijing on key regional security issues.
On Monday, Mrs. Clinton attended a town-hall meeting with Cambodian students in Phnom Penh and was asked her view on the Hun Sen government's relationship with China. She said the U.S. encouraged strong relations between Phnom Penh and Beijing but believed Cambodia should hew to an independent foreign policy.

"It's up to your government and your people to determine your own relationships with other countries," Mrs. Clinton told the gathering of 700 students and representatives of nongovernmental organizations. "But I think it's smart for Cambodia to be friends with many countries. Look for balance. You don't want to become too dependent on any one country."
Mrs. Clinton also said Phnom Penh should hold discussions with Beijing to address concerns that Chinese policies are disrupting Cambodia's economic development and harming its environment. She specifically cited China's damming of the upper Mekong River and its impact on Cambodian agriculture.

Mr. Hor Namhong, the Cambodian foreign minister, declined to comment on China-Cambodia relations during the news conference.

(source: The wall street journal)

The discussion should be issue centered and not pointing finger to a specific country when USA is equally to be blamed for the global environmental problems, also as one of the greatest polluter in the world. The United States. Though Americans make up just 4 percent of the world's population, we produce 25 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution from fossil-fuel burning -- by far the largest share of any country. In fact, the United States emits more carbon dioxide than China, India and Japan, combined. Clearly America ought to take a leadership role in solving the problem(source: http://www.nrdc.org). Air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification(source:http://www.nationmaster.com/country/us-united-states/env-environment). Environment problem is a global problem, USA is the largest polluter, China is the late comer, and imported pollution due to the industrialization of its low cost production for the developed countries included USA. China suffered due to low public awareness of environment issues, and their priority of economic development over environment protection. A real advocate of environment protection will share their experience in environment protection,to help the other less experienced countries to manage the problem. Not upright attack on the country, without considering the implication. Global pollution problem is a shared responsibility.

The blame of the global financial problem is on the financial products from the Wall Street, New York; and the crisis from USA's home financing. It is not the culture of Asian to blame own problem to the neighbors without concrete basis. The spilling effect of US financial crisis has adversely affected other countries, the worst hit is Iceland, but did Iceland and other countries blame the problem to USA, the world considered it a global crisis.....

Hillary Clinton need to be thankful that the financial crisis did not worsen, and thanks the world for it.....be thankful, the world is not an island.....not owned by any superpower...

The Asian visit may be the strategy to improve the image for the future President election, but please do not use other country for that purpose. Let your own problem remained as domestic affair. Your domestic problem is not a global affairs, you need to solve your own problems within the country. There are appropriate platform for international issues. But if you need the help of the external party you need to ask for their help, and do not force other party to accept whatever terms you want. You are asking others to help to solve your own domestic problem.....

A friendly visit is bilateral, not international, to discuss issues, and not to involve the third party, unless the visitor's purpose is malicious and hostile visit.....to provote the third party....

I just do not expect a global leader to be ill manner, without respect of the host, and their culture.....

Human right, also include the right to respect another human being , and not to be arrogant to disrespect the culture of the other people....... to respect the independence of the nation, the dignity of the people....

What is the purpose of provocation in Asia, where it is far away from USA? to create another cold world era, to create another perceived enemy? or to create conflict so that to sell arms ?..... I just do not understand.....you have created so many platforms for discussion, and yet failed to communicate and negotiate.....

Even you failed, you have to take it gracefully.....the wild wild west has long being lost.....it is time for global cooperation to tackle the world problem, the time for cold world is over, the time for global political game will be limited, please do not revise it....

Related articles

1. Gibbs threatens to pull Obama from India talks after press dispute, http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101108/pl_yblog_upshot/gibbs-threatens-to-pull-obama-after-press-dispute
2. The USA Versus the Environment - Oil, Pollution and Kyoto, http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/pollution.html

1 comment:

  1. the friendly visits and goodies from powerful nations are nicely depicted in the movies 'Lion King' (hyenas and lion became friends?) and 'Avatar' (to make the young locals feel that their culture is inferior to the powerful's!)

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