I do believe that this is an issue that is part of our strategic dialogue with China.

I think it is also the view of particularly President Obama and Secretary Clinton that not only is it important to talk about these values, but to live them.

With respect to human rights situations inside China, these are the numbers that I received from my staff, from the State Department's report on human rights.

if we, as a nation, tolerate certain activities by closed systems that have a great deal of power, then these emerging governments will see that there is no accountability for negative behavior.

I believe, that the time has come to undertake a comparative assessment of how our policies toward Asian governments effect our relationships.

I think if you ask many Americans today what is the central focus, regionally, of American foreign policy, they all would say it is South Asia.

I think there is a strong bipartisan commitment to Asia, with specific steps and values that have animated our overall engagement for decades.

the promotion of democracy and human rights is an essential element of American foreign policy.

I totally agree with you. We tend to forget, in this country, the amazing story of Japan since the end of World War II.

One of the precepts in ASEAN is that, if you are a member, then you are treated equally inside ASEAN, as a member.

this is, I think, a fresh opportunity to try to bring some consistency into our policies.

I think we need to be clear here, it was just signed, as of this month.

The United States is the leading power of Asia.

The interdependence we have with the Chinese Government.

the fate of these societies and their political evolution rests not with us, the United States Government or NGOs, it rests with the citizens.

To what extend does the United States become vulnerable through an increasing dependence on a governmental structure that's not like our own?

democracy, human rights have to be part of the dialogue, on an ongoing, consistent basis.

the leading authoritarian states in the world... are engaging more and more in efforts to weaken regional and global institutions that have democracy and human rights as part of their mandates.