It should go without saying that any meeting between Bush and Kim Jong-il can only occur after Bush has met with Kim Dae-jung, preferably in Seoul. It would also be a serious blunder for Bush to step foot in China without having first visited both South Korea and Japan. Clinton, in July 1993, made his first Asia visit to Japan and Korea well in advance of that year's inaugural APEC leaders meeting in Seattle; Bush can do no less without sending the wrong signal about America's commitment to its two key Asian allies.
Ralph A. Cossa is executive director of the Pacific Forum CSIS, a Honolulu-based non-profit research institute.
RSS