U.S. and Taiwan (2009)

U.S. Department of state

U.S. and Asia: Two Transatlantic and Transpacific Powers

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Remarks at the Asia Society
New York, New York
February 13, 2009

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, Vishakha, and thanks also to John Thornton and Jamie Metzl and the board members who are gathered here this afternoon. It is a great pleasure to be back here in this magnificent building and to have the chance to thank you for the Asia Society's work over many decades to strengthen the relationship between America and the people and governments of Asia.

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Let me start with the global financial crisis that hit us first and hit us deeply. Across the United States today, families are losing jobs, homes, savings, and dreams. But this is not our crisis alone. Its repercussions are also being felt in parts of Asia and elsewhere around the world. We have recently heard forecasts from South Korea's new finance minister that their economy will shrink by 2 percent this year, with 200,000 jobs potentially lost. A Chinese Government survey of villages last week reported that 20 million of the nation's 130 million migrant workers are unemployed. In Japan, a new analysis predicts a larger economic contraction than previously forecast. Indonesia's exports fell by more than 20 percent in December as growth estimates have also fallen. And Taiwan's economy reported a record 44 percent drop in exports. Throughout Asia, the demand for durable goods is way down.

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Now, some believe that China on the rise is, by definition, an adversary. To the contrary, we believe that the United States and China can benefit from and contribute to each other's successes. It is in our interest to work harder to build on areas of common concern and shared opportunities. China has already asserted itself in positive ways as chair of the Six-Party Talks and in its participation in international peacekeeping efforts. And our two countries, I'm happy to say, will resume mid-level military-to-military discussions later this month. And we look forward to further improved relations across the Taiwan Strait.

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