ID :
375608
Wed, 07/29/2015 - 10:59
Auther :

Kerry's Forthcoming Visit To Malaysia Will Underscore Strong US Interest In Southeast Asia

By Manik Mehta NEW YORK, July 29 (Bernama) -- United States (US) Secretary of State, John Kerry's forthcoming visit to Malaysia in the first week of August to participate in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is intended to underscore the strong US interest in Southeast Asia and the entire Asia Pacific region, reflecting the US pivot to Asia. Explaining the implications of the recent Iran nuclear deal in a discussion last Friday at the Council on Foreign Relations here, the secretary of state, responding to a question on the US achieving two major breakthroughs in the nuclear deal and Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) noted that both issues were "very, very important" for the administration, and "we're working extremely hard on the TPP. "(The) TPP is critical to the rebalance to Asia, which we’re very focused on. "I mean, I've made X number of trips to the region, and Tony Blinken (Antony John 'Tony' Blinken, the US Deputy Secretary of State and former deputy national security advisor to US President Barack Obama) is now following up, and we’re really flooding the zone, so to speak. "I'm going to Asia (Kuala Lumpur) next week, actually, for the ASEAN meetings and so forth". Before arriving in Malaysia for a three-day trip beginning Aug 4, Kerry will make a stopover in Singapore where he will meet Singaporean leaders and top government officials to discuss bilateral and regional issues as the island republic celebrates 50 years of independence. He will also deliver a speech on the importance of US trade and investment to achieve prosperity in both the East Asia region and the US. Subsequently, Kerry will attend the ARF in Kuala Lumpur where he will participate in four multilateral meetings, including the Lower Mekong Initiative, the US-ASEAN East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Foreign Ministers' meeting. On Aug 6, he flies to Hanoi to discuss bilateral and regional issues with the Vietnamese leaders, and also participate in an event marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of US-Vietnam diplomatic relations. A major issue Kerry is expected to raise in Kuala Lumpur will be the TPP. He said: "The US is deeply engaged in leveraging that because it represents 40 per cent of the global GDP. "And if the rules are accepted by the standards that we're putting into the TPP, we are raising the standards of international business, not racing to the bottom...". Diplomatic observers with intimate knowledge of Asia have said Kerry will use his visit to Southeast Asia to hold talks with key ASEAN members, including Malaysia, on a wide range of issues that, besides the TPP, will include the South China Sea, the ASEAN Economic Community and several bilateral issues. The strong US interest in Asia was also underscored earlier by Daniel R. Russel, the Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, during a lecture he delivered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC on July 21. "The United States has always had interests in Asia. These interests have only grown stronger as our economies have become more interconnected," he said. Meanwhile, US sources, speaking to Bernama on condition of anonymity said the much-touted Code of Conduct yet to be agreed upon between China and the claimants in the South China Sea, appeared one way to curb any "trigger-happy reactions" in the region. --BERNAMA

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