About the Author: Reta Jo Lewis serves as the Secretary’s Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs.

As John Kerry concluded earlier this week his first visit to China as Secretary of State, a delegation of U.S. governors arrived in Beijing to advance U.S.-China economic cooperation at the local level. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad led the delegation to the third U.S.-China Governors Forum (the Forum), which included Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. 

I supported the U.S. governors’ delegation at the Forum, which was co-convened by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Chinese Peoples’ Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) in Beijing and Tianjin, April 15-16. The three U.S. governors and five Chinese provincial leaders discussed economic and trade cooperation and environmental management… more »

About the Author: Jennifer Zimdahl Galt is the U.S. Consul General in Guangzhou, China.

Recognizing the long history and deep ties between California and Guangdong dating back to the 1800’s, I was excited to support Governor Brown’s visit to Guangdong and to have played a role in bringing together the United States’ largest state by population and economy and China’s largest province.

In Guangzhou, Governor Brown was warmly greeted by the leaders of Guangdong, including Party Secretary Hu Chunhua and Governor Zhu Xiaodan, as the delegation from California inked agreements in Guangdong to deepen their ties and to work together on low carbon economic development. Chinese business representatives attending a breakfast in Guangzhou hosted by American Chamber (AmCham) South China on April 15 were visibly moved when they heard Governor Brown talk about how the first wave of intrepid Chinese immigrants to California overcame tremendous odds and obstacles and… more »

About the Author: Reta Jo Lewis serves as the Secretary of State’s Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs.

Today, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. concluded a highly successful trade and investment mission to China in the port city of Shenzhen. Multimillion-dollar business deals between Chinese and Californian companies were announced during the visit.

At an April 10 reception at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing hosted by Ambassador Gary Locke, Governor Brown announced a $1.5 billion investment partnership between a California-based developer and a China-based investor and developer that will create thousands of California jobs. “This massive influx of Chinese investment will put thousands of Californians to work and dramatically improve Oakland’s waterfront,” said Governor Brown.

Governor Brown described this trade mission as a first step toward improved relations between… more »

More: Photos From the Trip | Details of Travel

On his first visit to China as Secretary of State on April 13-14, 2013, John Kerry met with the top echelon of China’s new leadership. During his 24-hour visit, the Secretary conferred with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, State Councilor Yang Jiechi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. At the top of the bilateral agenda was the subject of North Korea, and the two sides underscored their commitment to the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Both sides also articulated a vision of how a stronger economic partnership between the two most powerful economies in the world can play a key… more »

Richard Buangan serves as Director of Digital Engagement at the U.S. Department of State.

Followers of @StateDept watched the State Department’s Twitter account surpass 500,000 followers this week, and also saw Secretary of State John Kerry wage a friendly bet with his Canadian counterpart, Foreign Minister John Baird, on whether the U.S. women’s team would beat Canada’s team in the women’s world hockey championship. The U.S. team won the game, and Foreign Minister Baird made good on the bet, offering Secretary Kerry a case of Canadian beer during the G-8 Foreign Ministers Meeting in London.

Secretary Kerry departed London today for East Asia, where he will visit the Republic of Korea, followed by travel to China and Japan. And, during his travel, you’ll discover more reasons to follow our websites and social media properties. First, we are pleased to announce our new U.S. Department of State Live webpage, where you’ll be able to watch the State Department’s daily press briefings, major speeches by the Secretary of State, and more. Tune in on Sunday, April 14 at approximately 8:30 p.m. EDT, when Secretary Kerry delivers remarks on U.S. engagement in the Asian-Pacific region. Our@StateDeptLive account will be tweeting the Secretary’s remarks live, and we’ll be releasing the latest photographs from his trip on Facebook, Flickr, and Tumblr.

You can also follow @StateDept and @eAsiaMediaHub for more details on the Secretary’s travel and go to the websites of our embassies in the Republic of Korea,China, and Japan for more on U.S. diplomacy in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers remarks at the 100,000 Strong Foundation launch event at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. on January 24, 2013. A text transcript can be found at http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2013/01/203250.htm

About the Author: Timothy Neely serves as Environment, Science, Technology and Health Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India.

Do you know which country’s constitution promises that a minimum of 60 percent its land area will be maintained as forest for all time? Which country’s government pledges to protect, conserve, and improve the pristine environment and safeguard the biodiversity of the country; prevent pollution and ecological degradation; secure ecologically balanced sustainable development while promoting justifiable economic and social development; and ensure a safe and healthy environment? The answer is the Kingdom of Bhutan, a small Himalayan country located between China and India. Bhutan’s use of a “Gross National Happiness” index to measure progress, rather than GDP, is well-known, but fewer people know of the importance that Bhutan attaches to conserving its natural environment and biodiversity.

The Second Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation held in Thimphu, Bhutan… more »

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 5, 2012

The following is the text of a statement by Maria Otero, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, and United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, December 5, 2012, posted at http://www.humanrights.gov/2012/12/05/statement-on-tibet/.

Begin text:

The United States is deeply concerned and saddened by the continuing violence in Tibetan areas of China and the increasing frequency of self-immolations by Tibetans. Chinese authorities have responded to these tragic incidents with measures that tighten already strict controls on freedoms of religion, expression, assembly and association of Tibetans. Official rhetoric that denigrates the Tibetan language, the Dalai Lama, and those who have self-immolated has further exacerbated tensions.

Senior U.S. officials have directly raised the issue of Tibetan self-immolations with their Chinese government counterparts. The U.S. Government has consistently urged the Chinese government to address policies in Tibetan areas that have created tensions. These policies include increasingly severe government controls on Tibetan Buddhist religious practice and monastic institutions; education practices that undermine the preservation of Tibetan language; intensive surveillance, arbitrary detentions and disappearances of Tibetans, including youth and Tibetan intellectual and cultural leaders; escalating restrictions on news, media and communications; and the use of force against Tibetans seeking peacefully to exercise their universal human rights.

We call on the Chinese Government to permit Tibetans to express their grievances freely, publicly, peacefully, and without fear of retribution. We hope that the tragic acts of self-immolation end. We call on China’s leaders to allow journalists, diplomats and other observers unrestricted access to China’s Tibetan areas. We call on the Chinese Government to engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives without preconditions. 

About the Author: Tomicah Tillemann serves as the Secretary of State’s Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies.

Our work to rebalance U.S. diplomacy in Asia goes beyond economic and security considerations. We are also committed to standing up for America’s values.

In mid-November, I was in the city of Hangzhou, China participating in a groundbreaking conference on the role of civil society in U.S. foreign policy. The meeting was organized by the Institute for American Studies at Zhejiang University, and it marked the first time scholars in China have ever come together to discuss why organizations outside of government are such an important feature of America’s global engagement.

Participants in the meeting included experts from Chinese universities, the Academy of Sciences, and leaders from American civil society organizations. Our Chinese colleagues arrived with a wide range of assumptions about how American civil society groups operate and the degree to which… more »

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in New York, New York on September 27, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]