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SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: SECRETARY CLINTON'S TRIP TO ASIA; SINO-U.S. 
RELATIONS; U.S. ECONOMY; AFGHANISTAN; IRAQ 
 
TOPICS: 
¶1. Secretary Clinton's Trip to Asia 
¶2. Sino-U.S. relations 
¶3. U.S. economy 
¶4. Afghanistan 
¶5. Iraq 
 
HEADLINES AND EXCERPTS: 
 
¶1. Secretary Clinton's Trip to Asia 
 
"Mrs. Clinton's chance to turn words into action" 
 
The independent English-language South China Morning Post said in an 
editorial (2/17):  "U.S. President Barack Obama is shaping his 
administration's foreign policy with great care.  His deputy, Joe 
Biden, laid the groundwork at a security conference in Germany 10 
days ago with a keynote speech; his Middle East and South Asia 
envoys have started their work; and his foremost diplomat, Hillary 
Rodham Clinton, arrived in Japan yesterday on a tour that will also 
take in China, South Korea and Indonesia.  He starts his own 
diplomacy on Thursday by going to Canada, the traditional first stop 
for a new U.S. leader.  Such attentiveness bodes well for 
Washington's relations with the world; this approach must remain at 
the core of its diplomatic efforts....  It is clear from so much 
diplomatic activity that the Obama administration is going out of 
its way to avoid causing offence.  This is good, given the manner in 
which George W. Bush split the world with his go-it-alone approach 
to foreign relations.  The rifts with other governments and the 
Muslim world have to be patched up.  Mr Obama's background, growing 
up in Indonesia and multicultural Hawaii, gives him an understanding 
of the world his predecessor lacked.  The skepticism about what he 
can achieve has to be allayed.  His envoys have so far made the 
right noises.  Mrs. Clinton has the opportunity to turn those words 
into action." 
 
"Hillary will try to find the new international order" 
 
The center-left Chinese-language Sing Tao Daily News said in an 
editorial (2/17):  "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived 
in Japan last night and began her Asia trip.  The most important 
stop will be Secretary Clinton's last stop - China.  Hillary 
choosing Japan as her first stop implies that she wants to appease 
Japan and to strike a diplomatic balance.  The financial tsunami has 
led to the shrinking of wealth in developed countries.  In order to 
seek buyers for their bonds and products, they all hope that China, 
which has huge reserves and market, can 'open their reserves and 
come to the rescue.'  Earlier, U.S. Treasury Secretary Geithner 
quoted Obama's election platform and said China has manipulated the 
exchange rate.  However, China seriously refuted the case. 
Afterward, the U.S. became more moderate in their tone.  In the just 
finished G8 meeting, the U.S. did not put high profile pressure on 
the revaluation of the yuan.  On the contrary, they praised China 
for using $4 trillion yuan to boost the economy, hoping to please 
China in order to alleviate their economic difficulties....  The 
Obama administration has to make up for the financial and diplomatic 
mistakes made during Bush's tenure.  In the new international 
financial and diplomatic order, China will play a more important 
role than before.  Both the U.S. and China are still trying to 
determine what China's role should be and how important it will be." 
 
 
"Hillary's Asia trip is a 'listening trip'" 
 
The pro-PRC Chinese-language Macau Daily News remarked in an 
editorial (2/17):  "...U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James 
Steinberger said in Washington on February 12 that Hillary choosing 
to visit Asia first showed that the Obama administration attached 
much importance to Asia.  He said Hillary's Asia trip will be a trip 
of listening....  It is generally believed that the visit to Tokyo, 
Jakarta and Seoul will be easy for Hillary.  The trip to Japan is to 
maintain the alliance relationships.  The trip to South Korea is to 
maintain relations and to focus on the North Korean nuclear issue. 
The trip to Indonesia will signal that the U.S. will engage in 
Southeast Asian politics again.  And the last stop is Beijing. 
Since China cannot be condemned unreasonably again, Hillary needs to 
establish constructive relations with China....  Many experts and 
scholars believe that Hillary's China visit will set a tone for the 
Obama administration's China policy and to lay down a good 
foundation for bilateral relationship.  They don't need to make 
major progress in working out details.  Walter Lohman, the Director 
of The Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center, and Richard Bush, 
the Director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at 
Brookings Institute, suggest Hillary serving as a good listener 
during her Asia trip to listen to the voice of Asian countries, 
especially China.  She should use action to carry out her 'smart 
power' and 'vanguard of foreign policy'" 
 
¶2. Sino-U.S. relations 
 
"Protectionism tests Sino-U.S. relations" 
 
The pro-PRC Chinese-language Ta Kung Pao remarked in an editorial 
(2/16): "...In recent years, the U.S. has passed many measures (for 
examples, anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures) to restrict the 
imports of Chinese products.  'Buy American' may become a new trade 
barrier mechanism.  Apart from the traditional protectionist 
measures, the financial crisis has triggered other new protectionist 
measures....  The first is 'industry interference' protectionism. 
Following the lead of the U.S., countries will support local auto 
industries by offering loans.  This is actually a subsidy which has 
aroused debates between the EU and the U.S. and among EU 
countries....  The second is currency protectionism.  The 
International community put pressure on China to push for the 
revaluation of the yuan, so that the U.S. dollar will depreciate and 
enhance U.S. competiveness....  The third is investment 
protectionism.   A few years ago, U.S. politicians used national 
security as a political reason to stop CNOOC (China National 
Offshore Oil Corp) from acquiring a U.S. oil company.  The above 
protectionist measures are testing Sino-U.S. trade relations, which 
may even affect relations in other areas.  China must pay attention 
to the development of the state of affairs and must work on 
safeguarding its national interests." 
 
¶3. U.S. economy 
 
"The U.S. must be careful not to follow Japan's path and decline for 
twenty years" 
 
The independent Chinese-language Hong Kong Economic Times commented 
in an editorial (2/17):  "Japan's economy has plummeted rapidly. 
Its economy in the fourth quarter last year recorded a negative 
growth of 12.7 percent.  Its era of economic decline seems to have 
entered the 20th year.  Since the U.S. economic recession seems to 
follow Japan's, whose economy has a chronic disease.  If the U.S. 
does not take the right medicine for its problem, the U.S. may also 
decline for several years which will weigh down the whole world.... 
The U.S. is more willing to face the reality than Japan was.  Thus, 
it will not be like Japan, whose economy declined for twenty years. 
However, the U.S. economy is seriously battered.  If it does not 
prescribe a potent medicine, its economy will not be able to recover 
within three to five years.  As a global economic engine for the 
world, if the U.S. economy declines for five years, the global 
economy will also be dragged into long-term suffering too." 
 
"The White House should be quick in dealing with the financial 
crisis, it cannot loss confidence" 
 
The independent Chinese-language Ming Pao Daily News had an 
editorial (2/15):  "...Obama should understand the importance of 
'confidence'.  Last September, on the eve of the presidential 
election, the polls showed that Obama was behind McCain.  In 
mid-September, following the financial tsunami, American voters 
casted their votes for Obama who called for change.  Obama, who has 
no administrative experience and is not a veteran Senator, won the 
election.  In brief, it is because of 'confidence.'  Now, Obama's 
Treasury Secretary did not give people enough confidence.  If people 
continue to loss their confidence, Obama's work will get half the 
result with twice the effort." 
 
¶4. Afghanistan 
 
"U.S. should adopt a more pragmatic strategy toward Afghanistan" 
 
The pro-PRC Chinese-language Macau Daily News remarked in an 
editorial (2/15):  "Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan attacked a 
government building in Kabul on February 11, killing 26 and injuring 
55....  The Taliban's attack has strengthened and quickened U.S. 
resolve to increase troops in Afghanistan.  On the other hand, it 
also urges the U.S. to adopt a more pragmatic strategy toward 
Afghanistan....  Taliban's attack has posed a new challenge to the 
U.S.  The U.S. will become more pragmatic in its future Afghanistan 
strategy.  It will differentiate among opponents.  The U.S. will 
resolutely combat the extreme and obstinate forces and will try to 
draw moderate groups closer." 
 
¶5. Iraq 
 
"Small mercies" 
 
Commentator and broadcaster Michael Chugani wrote in the 'Insight' 
page in the independent English-language South China Morning Post 
(2/17):  "What price democracy?  In the case of Iraq, it's about 
4,250 dead American troops and still counting.  Add another 320 or 
so if you include dead soldiers from the other nations that joined 
the so-called 'coalition of the willing' to invade and democratise 
Iraq. As for dead Iraqis, both civilians and soldiers, don't bother 
counting.  No one knows for sure.  The Bush administration didn't 
think it necessary to keep tabs.  But the Iraq Body Count website 
puts civilian deaths so far at about 100,000....  When Mr. Bush 
invaded Iraq, he expected a quick, cheap war that would produce the 
Middle East's first true democracy.  It's been neither quick nor 
cheap and, six years on, there's still no real democracy even though 
a very high price has already been paid, including a dramatic troop 
surge to prevent civil war.  Instead, Mr. Bush's war has made many 
wonder if critics have a point when they say democracy simply cannot 
work in some societies.  How do you even start to democratise a 
region ruled by dictatorial kings and tribal chiefs, where religion 
virtually controls daily life, where judicial punishment includes 
hands being chopped off and death by stoning, and where women aren't 
allowed to drive.  Would it be more realistic to hope for some 
semblance of democracy rather than the full-blown western-style 
version?" 
 
DONOVAN