♠ Posted by Emmanuel in Security,Southeast Asia
at 9/25/2010 12:22:00 AM
In case you missed it, President Obama met with ASEAN leaders in New York just yesterday. What are notable to me are that (1) in approaching ASEAN as a whole, the US is bashing Myanmar less and less on human rights grounds; (2) Obama didn't emphasize the South China Sea so much--though he maintained the hypocrisy of referring to "international law" it hasn't signed; and (3) he pledges to visit Indonesia again after failing to do so three times before. The read-out of his working lunch meeting with ASEAN bigwigs is posted on the White House website for what it's worth; what follow are the key bullet points...- The United States acceded to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in July 2009.
- At the invitation of the ASEAN states, the United States will participate in the East Asia Summit comprised of ASEAN and eight other prominent countries in the Asia Pacific region [ASEAN-10 + China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia & USA]
- Secretary Clinton will initiate U.S. participation in the East Asia Summit by attending its meeting in Hanoi on October 30, 2010.
- President Obama will attend the East Asia Summit meeting in Jakarta in 2011.
- The President will also visit Indonesia in November 2010 [one hopes he'll finally come after already striking out here].
- Secretary Gates will attend the first ASEAN-hosted meeting of Asia Pacific region Defense Ministers in Hanoi in October 2010.
- The President has nominated the first-ever resident U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN.
