U.S. envoy for North Korea may visit Pyongyang

From Elise Labott
CNN State Department Producer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. envoy for North Korea hopes to visit that nation next week as part of what the Obama administration hopes will be a different relationship between Washington and Pyongyang, senior administration officials told CNN on Thursday.
Stephen Bosworth lectures at Tufts University, where he is dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Stephen Bosworth will travel first to China, South Korea and Japan -- U.S. partners in the six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear program, the officials said. He will be traveling with Sung Kim, director of the State Department's Office of Korean Affairs, who has also acted as a top negotiator.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will announce Bosworth's trip to the region Thursday afternoon, the officials said.

They said Bosworth will consult with Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo about the status of the nuclear negotiations and determine whether they are approve of him making an overture to Pyongyang.

If the talks go well, Bosworth will then ask the North Korean government for permission to travel there, the officials said. It would be the first face-to-face contact between representatives of the Obama administration and the North Korean government.

North Korea is aware of the possibility of a visit, the officials said, but nothing has been scheduled.

Clinton appointed Bosworth as special representative for North Korea policy, overseeing U.S. efforts in the six-party talks. In addition to the United States and North and South Korea, China, Japan and Russia are taking part.

Bosworth, who has visited North Korea several times, served as U.S. ambassador to South Korea from 1997 to 2000 and was executive director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization from 1995 to 1997. He is now the dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

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Officials say another option is for Bosworth to meet North Korean officials in Beijing. Bosworth just traveled to Pyongyang last month in his capacity as dean of the Fletcher school before being named to the government post.

The possible visit to North Korea comes as the Obama administration weighs greater engagement with the reclusive country. Clinton said before traveling to Asia last week that if North Korea moved ahead with denuclearization, the United States would be prepared to normalize relations and sign a peace treaty on the Korean Peninsula.

Tension between Pyongyang and its neighbor South Korea has increased in recent weeks, with North Korea announcing it would scrap peace agreements with the South, warning of a war on the Korean Peninsula and appearing ready to test a missile capable of hitting the western United States.

U.S. and South Korean officials have said that North Korea seems to be preparing to test-fire its long-range missile, the Taepodong-2. Pyongyang tested one of the missiles in 2006, but it failed 40 seconds after launch. The missile is thought to have an intended range of about 4,200 miles (6,700 kilometers), which -- if true -- could give it the capability of striking Alaska or Hawaii.

Denying intelligence suggesting the missile test, North Korea announced Tuesday it is preparing to launch a satellite from its northeastern coast.

Clinton, who returned from Asia on Sunday after her first overseas trip as secretary of state, called North Korea's nuclear program "the most acute challenge to stability in northeast Asia" and has said there is a "testing period" at present about how diplomacy can move forward.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Il reportedly had a stroke in recent months and some observers claim he may not be fully in charge of the country. Clinton said last week that if Kim is replaced, "even it if is a peaceful succession, then that creates more uncertainty. It may also encourage even more provocative action as a way to delegate power."

Clinton Tells China Economy Is Priority

Clinton Tells China Economy Is Priority
－Wall Street Journal

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton concluded her first diplomatic mission to China, where she laid out a vision for U.S. relations with Beijing that prioritizes cooperation on the financial crisis and global warming while playing down disagreements over human rights.

Mrs. Clinton ended her weeklong, four-nation Asian trip Sunday highlighting to the Chinese public the 'intertwined' nature of the U.S. and Chinese economies.

'It would not be in China's interest if we were unable to get our economy moving,' Mrs. Clinton said in an interview with the Chinese television talk show 'One on One.'

Noting that Washington is borrowing more to fund stimulus spending, she praised China -- the world's largest holder of U.S. Treasurys -- for its continued purchases of U.S. government debt.

'So by continuing to support American Treasury instruments, the Chinese are recognizing our interconnection. We are truly going to rise or fall together.'

Earlier in the day, Mrs. Clinton attended service at the state-sanctioned Beijing Haidian Christian Church, and held a 'Women's Leadership Forum' with 22 prominent Chinese scholars, executives and media celebrities. She asked the group of women about progress on gender equality, and 'continuing obstacles' for Chinese women.

But Mrs. Clinton -- who as first lady in 1995 angered Beijing by bluntly criticizing its human-rights record at a conference here -- never mentioned human rights during the one-hour women's forum Sunday, and generally avoided sensitive subjects in public statements during her visit.

Mrs. Clinton had signaled in recent days that she wouldn't focus on issues such as human rights and Tibet during her meetings in China. She told reporters Friday that to do so risked undermining efforts to combat the global economic crisis.

'We have to continue to press them' on human rights. 'But our pressing on those issues can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis,' Mrs. Clinton said. 'We have to have a dialogue that leads to an understanding and cooperation on each of those.'

That statement angered rights activists. The remarks 'send the wrong message to the Chinese government,' Human Rights Watch said in a statement, arguing that past progress on human rights in China has come partly as a result of outside pressure.

Mrs. Clinton focused on the economy, along with key security and environmental issues, in meetings Saturday with senior Chinese leaders. She said her Chinese counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi, will visit Washington in early March to help coordinate a U.S.-China response to the economic downturn ahead of the Group of 20 industrial and developing countries in April in London.

At a joint appearance, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Yang both acknowledged the interdependence of their two economies, but Mr. Yang didn't offer any commitment on Beijing's future investment policies regarding its Treasury holdings.

Mr. Yang said China wants to ensure the 'safety, value and liquidity' of its foreign exchange reserves, and will determine the future use of the reserves with those criteria.

Washington and Beijing are extending a Bush administration initiative to hold regular high-level talks to discuss key economic and strategic issues. The exact structure of the talks is to be announced when U.S. President Barack Obama meets Chinese President Hu Jintao at the G-20 meeting. Mrs. Clinton said she and U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner would be involved in the dialogue.

Mr. Geithner upset Chinese officials in January when he accused Beijing of 'manipulating' its currency -- a statement widely seen as an escalation of U.S. complaints that China artificially depresses the value of the yuan to bolster its exports.

Aside from the economy, Mrs. Clinton's biggest emphasis in Beijing was on coordinating with China's leaders on confronting environmental challenges. She has appointed a special envoy on climate change, Todd Stern, and the two visited the gas-fired Taiyanggong Power Plant, which was designed to reduce emissions and water consumption. The plant was built by General Electric Co. of the U.S. in partnership with the Chinese government.

'What we see here is the type of in-depth cooperation that we have to encourage,' Mrs. Clinton said in remarks delivered at the plant.

In meetings with Mr. Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao, Mrs. Clinton discussed a range of security issues, including North Korea, Iran, Myanmar and Zimbabwe.

Mrs. Clinton asked China to curb its oil and gas investments in Iran in a bid to force Tehran to give up its nuclear program, according to a senior U.S. official, who said the Chinese leadership offered no signs they'd honor Washington's request. Mr. Yang said these investments don't violate United Nations sanctions against Iran, the official said

At their meeting at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Mr. Hu thanked Mrs. Clinton for making Asia her first overseas trip.

This 'shows the new administration attaches great importance to developing relations with Asia and with China. I greatly appreciate it,' Mr. Hu said. 'I believe Madam Secretary that during your tenure you will make positive contributions to the growth of U.S.-Chinese relations.'

By Jay Solomon from WSJ.

COMMENT
In the past year, China had to deal with many controversial issues including climate changes, international imports and exports, weapon trade, and most importantly the human rights. As the last year, 2008, the Tibetan people were suppressed by the China government and other related human rights which made the debate between China and U.S government for years.However, since last year, the global economic recession which had made the U.S government undergone serious lost in credit and it has strived extremely hard to save its banking system changes the U.S foreign policy and international relation with China. As Clinton had visited China this week, she clearly depicted that the economy is the priority and should be put on the top list and discussed. What she had said demonstrated that the U.S relied on China’s buying its bonds.
Economically speaking, if China bought large amount of US dollars, China should aware that there would be a risk to lose money when its value decreased. This is what China does not like to expect and see. On the other hand, the U.S government does not want the RMB‘s value increased to a high level because the currency rate would interfere the trade between China and U.S.
Based on the political points of views, there is a new relation built between China and U.S. The Asia-tour which is the first tour for the new secretary seemed to me that Clinton wanted to have more positive talking to the Prime Minister of China. Some people scorned her movement because they support the human rights and discontented with the China government’s human rights policy. While others think positively that Clinton had contributed a positive impact on international relation.
In my opinion, she could delay the human rights issue and waited to put on the table when the economy backs to the prosperity.

Japan's GDP slumps nearly 13 percent

Japan's GDP slumps nearly 13 percent

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Japan's gross domestic product slumped 12.7 percent for the fourth quarter in 2008, according to government data released Monday.
The news comes after the world's second largest economy reported a steep drop in industrial production in December, falling 9.6 percent from the previous month.
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association announced that Japan's output of cars, trucks and buses plunged 25.2 percent in December from a year earlier, down for the third straight month and posting the largest year-on-year fall since 1967.
December was the third month that Japan's production had decreased. Production was expected to fall further in January and February, according to a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry report.
The drop offs in production come as factories announced layoffs, including 20,000 job losses at computer firm NEC Corporation and 7,000 at electronics company Hitachi.

COMMENT
It has been called the lost 10 years to Japan since the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. Japan is an export-oriented country and the 2nd large amount of foreign exchange reserve in the world. The 1st country is China. Because Japan has much reserve, it did not have many problems. However, the GDP growth is gradually decreasing.
In my opinion, there are two reasons to explain the recession. First, the Japanese government is a bureaucratic system and the governors often come from the same families which have politic background. Second, there is not a good economic team which helps make the economic policy. Most Japanese people become apathy to politic and their democratic government. Plus, most Japanese do not like to learn foreign language and culture. Therefore, one could conclude that Japan did not well-developed in this 10 year.

Clinton heads to Asia on first state trip

February 16, 2009
Clinton heads to Asia on first state trip
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (CNN) -- Hillary Clinton says her first overseas trip to Asia as U.S. secretary of state is aimed at creating a "network of partners" to tackle problems that no nation can deal with alone, including the global economic crisis.

Hillary Clinton seeks improved relations with China, where she said the U.S. would renew military contacts.

En route to Asia on Sunday, Clinton told reporters that the economy would serve as the backdrop of her trip, and she intends to explain steps the United States is taking with its $787 billion stimulus bill. She said she will be "seeking cooperation on ways that we are going to work through these very difficult economic times."

Clinton is slated to travel to Japan, China, South Korea and Indonesia to discuss a range of issues, including mutual economic recovery, trade, the prevention of nuclear weapons proliferation and reversing the global warming trend.

The trip represents a departure from a diplomatic tradition under which the first overseas trip by the secretary of state in a new administration is to Europe.

Speaking at the New York-based Asia Society last week, Clinton said the Obama administration wants to "develop a broader and deeper" relationship with Asia, a region that has felt overlooked by the United States despite its growing global importance.

"It demonstrates clearly that our new administration wants to focus a lot of time and energy in working with Asian partners and all the nations in the Pacific region," she said, "because we know that so much of our future depends upon our relationships there." Watch David Lampton of John Hopkins University discuss Clinton's trip »

On Sunday, she addressed North Korea's nuclear program, which she's called "the most acute challenge to stability in northeast Asia." Clinton said the Obama administration is prepared to seek a permanent, stable peace with Pyongyang as long as its regime pursues disarmament and does not engage in aggression against neighboring South Korea. The United States has a "great openness and willingness to working with them," she said.

She called for an improved relationship with China, where she said the United States would shortly renew military-to-military contacts. She will also try to establish closer cooperation on climate change with China, which has surpassed America as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Officials said Clinton had hoped to name a special envoy for North Korea before leaving for Asia to signal the Obama administration's commitment to addressing North Korea's nuclear program, but that the timing and specifics of the job were still being worked out. Clinton has said she hopes to name the envoy "soon."

Clinton visits Asia to send key message