Today the Committee will consider the nominations of the Honorable Jon Huntsman to be Ambassador to China; John Roos to be Ambassador to Japan; Jonathan Addleton to be Ambassador to Mongolia; Teddy Taylor to be Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu; Martha Campbell to be Ambassador to the Marshall Islands; and Kenneth Gross to be Ambassador to Tajikistan.
As I noted last week during the hearing I chaired on Asia’s maritime territorial disputes, the United States is an Asia Pacific nation. I have had the good fortune to spend a considerable amount of time in Asia during my adult life, and I have a deep appreciation for the challenges facing the United States in this region. As a journalist, a writer, a businessman, a government official, and a Marine, I have traveled the length of this vast region.
Over the past twenty years, the United States has confronted a series of challenges critical to our interests in Asia, such as long-standing territorial disputes, contentious trade disputes, nuclear proliferation, environmental destruction, and a changing regional balance. The region is transforming as a result of its economic integration, the spread of Islam, competition over natural resources, and emergence of China as a regional power.
Despite these changes, the United States has continued to approach the region with a limited, short-term scope. Nevertheless, the strategic value of this region should not be underestimated.
This hearing and its many nominees underscore the call for a comprehensive strategy to guide U.S. diplomacy in Asia, particularly in devising a response to China’s growing power in the region. Maintaining the strategic balance in Asia is essential to protecting our interests and the interests of some of our closest allies and partners. The countries in this region depend upon the United States to remain proactively engaged and to adopt a long-term commitment to this engagement.
I urge the nominees to take up their prospective positions with a strategic, inclusive approach. Too often we neglect to realize that our bilateral relationships have regional economic, diplomatic and security implications.
This approach should incorporate an awareness of regional trends and an understanding about how bilateral relationships can be leveraged to protect U.S. interests and influence. Showing up is the first step in this process, and you will play a vital role in that.
This hearing also demonstrates the geographical reach of U.S. diplomacy in broader Asia—north to Japan and China, east to the Marshall Islands, west to Tajikistan, and south to Papua New Guinea. With the numerous cultures and languages in this region, it is important for the United States to demonstrate consistency in its policy. I have argued that from Burma to Mongolia the United States should support free and fair elections and democratization. It is in our interest to do so, just as it is in the interest of those countries seeking meaningful reforms.
Among these nominees, Gov. Huntsman and Mr. Roos will lead U.S. diplomacy toward two of the United States’ largest trading partners.
Gov. Huntsman will have no shortage of critical issues on his plate, including the course of military modernization, economic restructuring, trade disputes, environmental pollution, human rights and religious freedoms. As China’s national power grows, the United States has a key interest in ensuring the well-being of the region and the ability of states to develop in a fair and unfettered way. China’s resource-led investment practices threaten sustainable development and environmental conservation in places such as Papua New Guinea, and these practices must be addressed.
The United States’ relationship with Japan, however, is our linchpin in the region. Our task is not to simply maintain positive relations with Japan—but improve and deepen them. This will depend upon the internal changes occurring within Japan’s political system, as well as the external challenges facing us both. With a rising China, a stronger Russia, and a broken process with the denuclearization of North Korea, the U.S.-Japan alliance has been and will always be central to the U.S. security role in the region. At issue is not just the health of our respective economies and global leadership, but the lives of the U.S. servicemen and women dedicated to protecting peace in the region.
Mr. Addleton, Mr. Taylor, Mrs. Campbell, and Mr. Gross will also face no shortage of challenges in their positions. The strength of U.S. influence in Asia relies on the quality of its relationships, as well as the sum. Their roles in promoting democracy, good governance, and free and fair trade will be essential to improving the quality of U.S. engagement. Moreover, it will challenge directly the pervasive influence of authoritarianism, opaqueness, and exploitation.
We Americans must understand that our national history has been irrevocably changed by its relationship with Asia, particularly in the 20th century. Remembering this history is crucial for building our national future—a future that many believe depends upon the strength and stability of Asia.
I thank all of our nominees and their families for their willingness to serve our nation. When testifying, I would ask that each nominee introduce their family members in attendance today. Our hearing will have two panels. The first panel will include Gov. Huntsman and Mr. Roos. The second panel will consist of Mr. Addleton, Mr. Taylor, Mrs. Campbell, and Mr. Gross. Again, thank you for your testimony today.