Southeast Asia

My guess is that although a lot of attention will be on the Philippines' territorial dispute with China, an effort will be made to frame this [Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement] in terms of other interests also.

It’s one thing to say the United States is trying to underscore its commitment to the [Asia Pacific] region. But it can’t be based simply on acquiescence to whatever we see and have to contend with in the region.

I think that the TPP is a very important component of the [U.S. rebalance toward Asia]. It's not just about military redeployment, it's also about constructing a regional economic, trans-regional economic architecture.

I think this [TPP] ministerial is critical because you’re picking up the pieces of what happened last year. People are using this ministerial to get the sense of whether TPP has the momentum to move forward. At this juncture, where we are and the not very positive prospects for [trade promotion authority], the U.S. has to realize that Japan and every other TPP country is going to hedge and not put forward their very best offers.