Clinton: 'Pivot to Asia' about promoting democracy, not countering China

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on a whirlwind tour of Asia this week, hoping to convince allies that the administration's much-touted “pivot to Asia” is about promoting human rights and democracy, rather than curtailing China's rise.

Clinton acknowledged that U.S. military outreach to regional partners worried about Chinese ambitions has dominated the headlines since the administration announced the new strategy last fall.

The realignment, however, has three main dimensions — security, economic and “common values” — she said in a speech Monday, the last of which is at the “heart” of U.S. policy vis-a-vis Asia.

“I have to say that in many ways, the heart of our strategy, the piece that binds all the rest of it together, is our support for democracy and human rights,” Clinton said during a visit to Mongolia. “Those are not only my nation’s most cherished values; they are the birthright of every person born in the world.”

Clinton's visit to the continent — she attended an Afghan donors' conference in Japan over the weekend and next travels to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum – follows Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta's own highly scrutinized Asia trip last month. 

Panetta met with other Asian defense chiefs in Singapore to discuss tensions in the South China Sea and other hotspots where China is asserting its power, following earlier announcements that the United States is boosting its military presence in Australia, the Philippines and other areas.

In her speech, Clinton praised Mongolia, which has been viewed as a shining democratic example in the region since it got rid of communism in its democratic revolution of 1990 and this year is hosting the Community of Democracies, a global intergovernmental coalition of democratic countries. She went on to highlight recent elections in Taiwan, the Philippines and Timor-Leste and the democratic progress in Thailand and Burma to take a dig at China, without mentioning the country by name.

“These and other achievements across the region show what is possible,” she said. “And they stand in stark contrast to those governments that continue to resist reforms, that work around the clock to restrict people’s access to ideas and information, to imprison them for expressing their views, to usurp the rights of citizens to choose their leaders, to govern without accountability, to corrupt the economic progress of the country and take the riches onto themselves.”

Despite the dig, the State Department says it sees China as a partner and rival, but not an enemy. To underscore that point, Clinton is set to have a “very substantial session” with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on the margins of the ASEAN summit.

“One of the things that we are seeking to underscore during this visit is ... a strong determination to show the region that the United States and China are committed to work closely together,” a senior State Department official told reporters traveling to Mongolia.

“There will be inevitable competition, but we want to channel that competition into areas that are productive. And we want to make very clear that the two countries are prepared to work in a constructive manner here in the 21st century.”

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