Biden to emphasize Asia pivot on trip to China, Japan,
South Korea
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/04/us-usa-biden-china-idUSBRE9A30C520131104
(Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will travel to China, Japan
and South Korea in the first
week of December, a trip designed to emphasize the U.S.
commitment to a policy pivot toward Asia.
With events in the Middle East
and domestic policy battles dominating President Barack Obama's attention in
recent months, questions have emerged about the extent of Obama's commitment to
this shift, particularly after the president canceled participation in two
Asia-specific summits last month.
Obama had to stay in Washington
instead of visiting four Asian nations last month to deal with a fiscal
stalemate that led to a U.S.
government shutdown.
The move raised further doubts over a policy aimed at
re-invigorating U.S.
military and economic influence in the region as China becomes more assertive. Some
commentators in the region felt the cancellations amounted to a strategic
withdrawal from the pivot.
Biden will reinforce the message that Washington is
committed to sustained diplomatic, economic and security engagement in Asia on
a trip that is expected to include talks with the leaders of each country,
including Chinese President Xi Jinping, sources familiar with the trip planning
told Reuters.
In Japan,
Biden will discuss efforts to advance a broad U.S.-Asia trade agreement known
as the Trans Pacific Partnership. In South Korea,
Biden will discuss economic relations, as well as long-standing efforts to rein
in North Korea's
nuclear program.
China
will be the most delicate stop diplomatically, with trade issues,
cybersecurity, North Korea
and human rights all topics that could be discussed.
Biden was instrumental in what U.S. officials say was the critical
task of cementing a good relationship with Xi before he rose to the top of the
Chinese power structure last March. It was Biden, they say, who helped lay the
groundwork for talks that Obama had with Xi in California last June.
Biden's trip in December will likely make him the first
senior U.S. official to visit Bejing after the important Communist Party Central
Committee plenum to be held from November 9-12, at which China is expected to
unveil its economic reform blueprint for the coming five to 10 years.
The world will be closely watching the party meeting for
signs as to whether China
will shift to a growth model that relies less on huge capital investment and
cheap exports - a move that would be welcomed by the United
States because it should trim the huge $300 billion
annual U.S. trade deficit
with China.
Other issues likely to come up during the trip are Chinese
pressure on Japan
over their maritime territory dispute and overall regional security.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Paul Eckert; Editing by
David Brunnstrom)