 Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific. He's also the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia. He's fairly new in this position, but he's not new to Asia I think most of us have met him along the way Ambassador Marciel just returned from three years in Indonesia where he was a driving force in the comprehensive partnership Engagement with Indonesia and also I think hosted president helped host President Obama two times and before that he was the was Deputy Secretary for Southeast Asia and also the US's first ambassador to ASEAN and Scott has also worked as was involved in the mid 90s and opening the embassy in Vietnam and earlier did a tour in The Philippines so ambassador Marciel. Thank you very much for joining us for lunch We look forward to hearing your thoughts on on the Asian architecture Thanks Murray Appreciate it Murray and I have known each other for a long time. It's good to be back and and see a lot of friends I haven't seen some of you. I haven't seen for quite a while and Murray's introduction suggests that I should know something about the subject which Worries me a little bit, but we'll see Thanks again. Thanks very much to CSIS and I know there were three different teams and CSIS working to organize a symposium which obviously a lot of interest in the region, which is great Let me try to talk a little bit about the the US engagement in the region and and the rebalance and how it links to and interrelates with the regional architecture and the upcoming summits particularly next month I say Danny Russell our assistant secretary Sends his apologies. He would dearly like to be here giving this speech. I know Particularly because right now he is wedged in a middle seat on a night flight between Jakarta and Beijing So I I know he would much rather be here But but Danny's been out in in Seoul Tokyo Brunei Jakarta, and I think just left Jakarta for Beijing and in back next week So for me and for us the APEC and EAS summits next month really highlighted both the importance of the region and the importance of the evolving regional architecture and You all know very much Why we're so focused on Asia the numbers, you know a third of the world's population 25% of its GDP 27% of its exports And increasingly as a secretary as former secretary Clinton like used to say It's a part of the world with which we need to partner to solve regional and global problems and to create opportunities So the US absolutely Recognizes and appreciates the importance of the region We've long been a Pacific nation and President Obama has repeatedly emphasized The US commitment to engaging intensively with the region the so-called rebalance and the idea of the rebalance is fundamentally a commitment by the United States to devote the time the energy and the resources needed to engage fully and Effectively with the region that's already important and that is likely to become even more important in global affairs And as Secretary Kerry put it recently President Obama has made a strategic commitment to rebalance our interest in investments in Asia Secretary Kerry in Tokyo. I think it was April of this year When he was talking about the rebalance He said we're talking about a 21st century Pacific partnership in which the United States works Bilaterally and multilaterally with the nations of the region to try to solve problems and create opportunities So one key element of this rebalance of this intense engagement is to strengthen our already closed ties with our five treaty allies Japan Korea Australia Thailand and the Philippines these alliances have safeguarded regional peace and security for the past half century and They provide the foundations for the stability upon which the entire region has enjoyed strong economic growth and peace for many years So part of the rebalance is to continue to work every day to make these Relationships even stronger and closer and another important part of the rebalance and something I certainly spent a lot of time on in Jakarta is deep in engagement with new partners new partnerships with countries like Indonesia Malaysia Vietnam while also investing in more Established relationships countries like Singapore Brunei and New Zealand as well as the Pacific Islands and here We're talking about a broad range of areas. We're working together. It's not just security. It's not just trade important As those are energy the environment health you name it China is a very critical partner for us the world benefits from a stable and prosperous China that Assumes the responsibilities of a mature power and plays a constructive role in world affairs During the Sunnylands meetings early this year President's Obama and she committed to building a positive relationship that will produce tangible benefits both for the two nations, but also for the world Another key priority for us and I know this was emphasized this morning is to increase trade and economic growth So we're working with our apex partners toward seamlessly integrated regional economy and my colleague Bob Wong I think we'll be speaking in a few hours here and we'll go into more detail about apex We're working very hard on a TPP agreement that will create a rules based high quality trading system That brings greater prosperity to the United States in the region and we're working in addition to the TPP Violaterally and multilaterally to reduce barriers to trade and investment and to create opportunities in areas such as renewable energy Under the expanded economic engagement or E3 initiative We've made progress in some very concrete joint activities launched by leaders last November to expand trade and investment We're working toward agreements on trade facilitation information communications technology and shared principles for international investment We're also working and this gets to the values question We're always also working to empower the people of Asia to take a full role in determining their own future Ensuring their right to have a voice in their nation's development So part of our partnership involves working with the nations of Asia to build a region where people enjoy full rights and freedoms the rule of law and the benefits of democracy and And underpinning this all of this is our continuing work To maintain a peaceful and stable region deter conflict and diffuse tension and again This is all part of the rebalance as I said earlier our presence and security partnerships have for many years supported a peaceful and stable region and created an environment that facilitates and supports growth and development We continue to do that still challenges remain most notably North Korea Where we're working with our Asian partners to help the North Koreans realize that they need to abide by their international commitments We're working with our partners in the region on this and other challenges such as long-standing territorial disputes Where a misunderstanding could derail the impressive economic progress that we've seen So to achieve all of these goals of the rebalance of the intensive engagement, how are we doing this? Well, we're engaging intensively Bilaterally and multilaterally and how are we doing that? Well first and foremost through diplomacy We are showing up All right five or six years ago when I travel in the region. I used to hear complaints You guys aren't showing up at x y or z We're showing up. We're showing up where we're supposed to show up consistently at high levels That's a big part a really important part of engagement Obviously through the trade negotiations like TPP and other things I mentioned The security engagement and so on very importantly increasing people-to-people ties hugely important part of of closer relations between the United States and the Asia Pacific region is Bringing our people closer together through education exchanges and other people-to-people ties and Of course one key part of the whole rebalance effort of the engagement is to intensify our work with the regional institutions and To work with other nations in the region to build the regional architecture To set regional norms and to create a level playing field for cooperation In which every country's voice matters and everyone plays by the same rules So this is the link the specific link between our rebalance or Intensified engagement and these upcoming summits To ensure our partnership with the region succeeds We really need to have worked toward agreement on the rules of the road for the region Forums like ASEAN ASEAN Regional Forum East Asia Summit APEC Really are designed to help all of us solve problems and to create opportunities and Really over the last four to five years. We've stepped up our our engagement our work with all these institutions significantly ASEAN is The center of regional institutions. We have supported a Central role for ASEAN and we're investing in it heavily as a critical partner We've had a good relationship with ASEAN for many years, but in the last four to five years We've definitely intensified it. We signed the Treaty of Amity in cooperation Secretaries Clinton and Kerry have participated in every annual ASEAN Regional Forum meeting We established a mission to ASEAN with a resident ambassador ambassador David Cardin in Jakarta We began and continue annual leader-level summits with our ASEAN counterparts And I know that President Obama is looking forward to the next summit next month in Brunei Within the ASEAN context, we've been working also on the lower Mekong initiative working with a sub-region To reduce the environment the development gap Which is very important for ASEAN and to build capacity in areas like education Energy and the environment connectivity and health care So we support ASEAN centrality will continue to work with ASEAN directly, but also with the other institutions or fora that are Centered around ASEAN ARF ASEAN regional forum the region's oldest and broadest security forum holds about 25 Events annually on on everything from non-proliferation and disarmament to disaster relief We participate very actively in those and will continue to do so We joined the East Asia Summit in 2010 and President Obama began attending the summits in 2011 in Bali in November of 2011 We see the EAS as the region's premier forum for leaders to discuss political and strategic issues So in the first two EAS meetings President Obama and the other leaders discussed ways to increase cooperation on a wide range of Pressing challenges and we expect similar discussions this year As you know the idea original idea of EAS was that the little bit free form so that the leaders could raise issues So if something happens, you know five days before the summit The leaders aren't bound or rest or constrained by an agenda that was set three months earlier So that's a key part of the EAS Of course one of the issues that has been discussed in the EAS Likely will be discussed again this year is the South China Sea particularly the territorial disputes Again while we don't take a position on the competing legal claims based on the land features We do have an interest in upholding international law and freedom of navigation and the absence of course Of measures so we've consistently and will continue to consistently support efforts to negotiate a code of conduct That would establish norms for of behavior for all involved We look at APEC as the premier forum for economic cooperation in the region I mentioned earlier my colleague Bob Wong will speak to this in more detail later but briefly we've been working with our partners to See how we can shape APEC and EAS into effective complementary venues for cooperation on issues Ranging from food security to women's empowerment And one way we've done this is to is to recognize areas where we can leverage the experience and the capacity of APEC To our expand our activities to include three ASEAN nations that are not yet members of APEC. I Mentioned TPP earlier The TPP will be a far-reaching trade agreement that brings together some of the largest and fastest growing economies of the Pacific Rim It also is part of the broader effort to ensure the adoption of a regional economic and trade architecture That's rules-based and provides an open fair and transparent framework So let me conclude with a few by by re-emphasizing a couple of key points The United States is committed to deep and broad engagement with Asia on a full range of issues We've increased our engagement in recent years and will sustain that high level Our active participation in the upcoming APEC and EAS summits will reinforce this commitment And our commitment is to work with partners Bilaterally and multilaterally to maintain the peaceful stable environment that has been so conducive For growth and development for so many years and to address new challenges and take advantage of new opportunities To succeed in this goal We really need a framework for countries to work together to approach each other as equals in the spirit of mutual Respect and to set rules to which we all adhere So we'll continue to work with our partners and the institutions in the region to shape and build an effective regional Architecture that supports our shared interests in peace stability and growth as well as our shared values of freedom and cooperation next month's APEC leaders meeting EAS summit and the US Ozzie on summit Along with numerous bilateral and other meetings that will take place on the margins are really opportunities for us Both to address challenges in the region But also to continue to build and shape the Pacific partnership and the regional Architecture that we think is so critical to the continued success of the region Thank you very much. Be happy to take a few questions Thank you. Thank you very much Scott for that comprehensive overview of the US position views on on the Emerging Asian architecture. So like Scott said, he's ready to take a few questions Michael Michael Martin from CRS. We had a question earlier about budget, but I'm not gonna worry about that I think that's a moot point, but related to that a couple other concerns First resources time and coordination first With all these meetings that our fes 40 plus and APEC has hundreds. I think and ADMM we said dozens of things going on there one Do you feel you have the personnel and resources in state and the other agencies to actually Engage in all these meetings second time I've heard before there's sort of Sherpa fatigue that after they've had all these meetings when they come back they don't really have time to implement or follow up on Commitments or or activities talked about at these four and then third coordination between agencies How what is being done to make sure that a commitment made at ADMM plus isn't going to Run contrary to something else promised at an EAS event and you can do all the permutations Okay, thanks good questions The short answer the first part of the question is yes I mean, you know, I'd be lying to you if I'd say, you know, the budget cuts don't hurt obviously they they they do but so far what I've seen is that You know, we're able to for example in Jakarta We're through July at least when I was there. We had a whole series of APEC meetings and We had very good representation not from just from state and USTR But from a range of US agencies, so yeah, people are cutting back here and there that they can but fundamentally we are able to show up and devote the time and and the effort to these things and and in terms of Sherpa fatigue You know, I I don't want to rule out that it you know and say it never happens But my experience there's pretty good follow-up We have pretty good systems in place people report back and on the third thing on Coordination between agencies I can't really go into a long answer because I've got to run off to an interagency meeting No, I'm I'm being half-in-gest I mean actually I'm going to an interagency meeting in an hour or two to talk about Coordination and it is I mean it's really an advantage We all those of us in government like to joke about interagency coordination But in fact we actually do have pretty good interagency coordination and the national security staff and and others do a really good job of You know bringing people together and making sure that we're all coordinated it can always be better But I actually think it's quite good Questions Lex Thank you Lex reefer with the Brookings Institution Scott. I didn't hear you mention the Asian Development Bank Is that not part of the Asian architecture that we care about? I? Love the Asian Development Bank You know I I Didn't mention it. You're right. It wasn't you know a conscious decision to leave it out so much but because it's You know a multilateral bank certainly we work with ADB quite closely It's important And I think you know I would I guess leave it at that. It's not something where You know fundamentally it's changing because of our rebalance. I think we continue to work very closely with ADB Come on from amnesty It's got them. We are little concerned that human rights is not Seriously taken into account in this new emerging regional architecture as you are aware The ASEAN human rights mechanism is extremely weak even the administration came against it Where does human rights fit into the new relationship and any particular steps you are taking? Thanks Thanks, come on. You know I did talk about human rights in my comments and the importance of it It remains a very important part of American foreign policy everywhere in the world and and that's not changed by rebalance We continue to work on it you know in different ways in different countries depending on the particular situation I think one of the really interesting things is the rebalance and the efforts to build new partnerships is also creating Opportunities to support people in the region who are doing good things to promote human rights and democracy I would cite again going back to my Indonesian days the Bali democracy form, which I think is an excellent initiative By by the Indonesian government, which is now attracting a lot of people as well as doing various programs for example supporting NGOs working together from various countries to try to create more space and build the capacity of civil society which is you Know is a hugely important part of human rights and then of course there's regular discussions official discussions on our side With governments about particular human rights concerns, so I think it remains a very important part of what we're trying to do and The rebalance includes a lot of opportunities to engage on a range of issues including human rights Thank you. Don't we wish China the real news agency of Hong Kong? Did you see any adjustment of US rebalancing strategic under Secretary Kerry and Secretary Hago? I mean, did you see any differences or any? Adjustment that is different from the policy or strategic under Secretary Clinton and Panita and also Okay, that's it. Thank you Good, you know how short my memory how bad my memory is I wouldn't be able to answer to Thanks in big picture terms. No because this is a rebalance initiative under President Obama And so important as cabinet secretaries are You know, it's this is a presidential initiative and there's strong commitment from the top I guess and from everything I've seen you know, Secretary Hago was just out in the region was it last week or two weeks ago I lost track And so I don't think there's gonna be any significant change the details will change You know particular trips or particular things that they focus on but the fundamental big picture of the rebalance I don't think so now Thank you very much. My name is Jeannie when with voice of Vietnamese Americans. I I thank you for talking about the TPP and You didn't mention the code of conduct. So my question has That two points and you also just stress the fact that the administration also focused on human rights So I believe human rights has been the main issue for Vietnam to work with TPP So would you let us know share with us where things are in the process? of Vietnam engaging in TPP with all the violations the human rights recently happened right after President Tsang visit with President Obama and I understand that the Prime Minister It's coming here soon Would something be brought up especially with the freedom of internet freedom of speech and Recently freedom of religions. There are significant problems with quite many churches and Pagoda and what how the Buddhism how in Vietnam just within the last month the second point is the COC the code of conduct and I think Dr. Campbell also Emphasize the establishing of norms and we do look forward to have a good code of conduct in the South China Sea recently China Has proposed a code of conduct in which they still Claims the U-shaped map or 80% of the South China Sea where Do you see the administration take the position in that? Thank you Okay, thanks. I mean TPP I would really defer to my colleagues at USTR to go into the details of you of TPP I mean it's a trade agreement There are aspects that cross over into things like labor rights and so on and so those will be discussed fully in the TPP Negotiations on the broader issue of human rights with Vietnam. I mean it's been as you know Since normalization and even before it's been a topic. We've regularly talked to the Vietnamese government about Including when President Tsang was here. I know our embassy has gone in and talked about the recent internet Law or right. I can't remember if it's a law or regulation I Can't speak to what will be on the agenda when Prime Minister zoom Comes and we don't you don't have anything set yet But I what I can say is it comes up consistently in our meetings with the Vietnamese And then on the issue of the code of conduct You know this is what we have said is that we support the concept of a code of conduct really to establish the rules of the road if you will understanding that the actual Resolution of the territorial disputes will take a long time and it's important to have rules until that is done and it's really a Negotiation between the ASEANs and the Chinese about the exact parameters of that So we're supporting the concept and those negotiations and think they're very important But really not going in and saying what the actual elements should be as long as it results in something that's that works Thank you, John San with CTI TV of Taiwan mr. Secretary where does Taiwan fit in this new Asian Architecture and how do you see the trilateral? Relationship between the United States China and Taiwan. Thank you very much Well, let me let me start by admitting that I am far from an expert on this subject, so I won't say a whole lot You know that our policy our one Paul one China policy has not changed But obviously we continue to work very hard to promote Trade investment throughout the region with the region as and certainly welcome efforts to maintain good cross-strait relations So it's important in that sense obviously Taiwan as one of the member economies of APEC plays a very important role, which we highly value So I would just leave it at that. Thank you Thank you email scotan former State Department your remarks on Continuing us engagement and commitment to the multilateral organizations in the region. We're very welcome But I wonder if you could highlight maybe just one or two specific areas Where you like to see improvements in that realm things done differently, maybe even better in terms of individual organizations Or individual groupings what they take on how they do their business Or in terms of more cooperation between those groupings. Thanks. I thought there was a CS higher rule that former ambassadors Weren't allowed to ask questions from me That's a good question. I mean it's it's Nothing jumps out at me as a as a huge gap that that is really crying to be filled in in that sense On the other hand, I'd say in almost every area. There's room for improvement so for example There's a certain amount of overlap as you well know between some things that Ozzy on our APEC EAS or have all touched on things like disaster relief Which everyone likes to work on it's it's a it's an issue that is both important and Generally speaking somewhat less sensitive than other issues. I think there could be greater coordination So and avoid avoidance of duplication in areas like that and certainly on the economic side in addition to TPP I think there's lots of opportunities for example in renewable energy Where we could be working together. That's why we launched the initiative last year the US ASEP Initiative on energy, but I think there's actually a lot more that could be done and Where we really need to work with the business community very closely. So I would I would highlight that You have time for one more question, please back in the back wait for the microphone. Okay, please Yummy Wong from Malaysian-American society. I have a question here about the language we use when we talk about the region I felt currently the whole forum the language is very positive and very prescriptive such as talking about Americans Contribution in the region, but however in this region There is uneven development in each nation states and also conflict of interest I just wonder the perspective of conflict and inequality in power How can that be taken into consideration when we talk about economic integration and also political security Such as an example is like I heard that the proposal of US-China Program in Burma something is worrying is about the streets of Malacca if they were to build a Canal to contact the in-road of business investment in Burma that will bypass the whole straight of Malacca So what will happen to Indonesia Malaysia and Singapore and with that like the Panama Canal in South America? Seriously change the dynamic of economic activities in the region. Thank you That's a hard question Let me let me try to address it a little bit I Mean it's not First let me say that these are issue issues of equity and security and Minimizing the risk of conflict, you know have been critical to our foreign policy for a long time And and with the the rebalance doesn't change that it may mean more focus overall on issues But these are long-standing issues. I think the issues of development and sustainable development and you know Inclusive growth and development are huge issues are not just for the United States But for the world and are addressed in a whole range of oil ranging from G20 to certainly a pack and We are always looking for areas to our ways to try to increase the number of people that benefit from the economic growth working with our partners through Liberalized trade increased competition reducing barriers to starting businesses for example these sorts of things so that continues and an APEC is critical in that And you know similarly with conflict there's a wide range of areas I'm not familiar with exactly the point on bypassing the Malacca Straits, but I Mean I think there can be a lot of views about the best way to promote act trade and economic development What projects make sense and what they don't I guess what we would say is that what's useful is to have full and transparent Discussions about them with all the stakeholders so that whenever decisions are made they're based on input from the stakeholders So for example with in the Mekong area, we've been working with our partners in the region In the question of dams on the Mekong comes up Not necessarily to say this dam's good this dam's bad But to say there ought to be a process that brings in the views and includes the views of the various stakeholders and Ways the pros and cons in the end governments will make decisions based on what they perceive to be in their national interest, but we think the International for the multilateral for it can be great ways to encourage this kind of transparency Reaching out to the various stakeholders and will continue to try to do that. I hope that addresses your question a little bit Thank you We're going to segue into the the next panel which will focus on the economic Aspects of the APEC and the East Asia summit. So, please I invite you all to join me in and thanking Ambassador Marciel for his