I again reiterate that I think this is a major opportunity for United States-China relations.

I believe the movement toward resolution in that part of the world could give China a major opportunity to demonstrate that it can assume some leadership.

What would your comment be on that?

Secretary Locke, I would like to congratulate you on your nomination...

I've held two hearings on sovereignty issues, different kinds of sovereignty issues, both of which, I believe, we really could benefit from a more overt participation from the Chinese.

China is one of the few countries in the world that does not recognize riparian water rights downstream.

I think that it's incumbent upon the Ambassador and other American Government officials who operate in China, whether it's from our Embassy or even visiting Members of the Congress, to take advantage of those different mechanisms of talk…

We talk about human rights. 'Human rights' is something of an amorphous term...

The thing I learned in politics is, quit while you are ahead.

We're very, very deeply concerned about transshipment of weapons systems material from North Korea to other parts of the world.

Vietnam is one of the most important countries in terms of our relationships in this part of the world.

The State Department issued a public statement the day after we heard that Dr. Vu had been sentenced. We stated in that release that we were deeply concerned by the sentencing and we called for the release of Dr. Vu.

We would be remiss if we did not recognize that there has been dramatic improvement in this area over the years.

We are very sympathetic in this regard to Vietnamese concerns, and we will be watching, very closely, in the run up to the next Mekong River Commission meeting how this decision plays out.

This is, indirectly, a sovereignty issue. Water, that is the availability of water in that region, can become a national security issue too if one country or another decides they can shut water off.

I personally have had strong concerns over many years about territorial claims in the South China Sea by the Chinese.

I'm also deeply grateful for the support of Senator Enzi; his wife, Diane; Senator Barrasso; and my husband, Mark.

Having served as Ambassador to Burkina Faso, I'm aware of the importance, if confirmed, of working with this committee and the Congress in order to advance United States interests in Malawi.