Our colleague, friend and fellow columnist David Jones, who also is Foreign Editor of the Washington Times, in his weekly “World Review” column, expresses hedged happiness that he has been “assured, very graciously,” of getting a visa for China.  Mr. Jones led his May 6 column by saying that “American readers generally understand that there is a strict separation between the news and opinion pages of this and other U.S. newspapers.”  Editorial pages in American newspapers, he wrote, “may rage in support of or against one policy or another, but that doesn’t mean our reporters share that view or are expected to reflect it in their stories.”  That difference, Jones said with what we suspect was serious—and just possibly slightly sarcastic--understatement, “is not so clearly understood in some foreign countries.”  Like China, maybe?  “We stress (this) point at every opportunity in our meetings with foreign visitors (and, he could have added, Washington-based diplomats), but there are still a handful of countries that are reluctant to allow our reporters in because of things that have been said about them in our editorial and commentary pages.”  So, here comes the “happiness.”  Jones said he has been “assured, very gracefully,” that the next times he applies for a reporter’s visa to visit China, “it will be granted.”  This, he added, is “a big step forward,”  Previously, he said, our reporters could get into China only when traveling with a senior U.S. official or coming to attend a major international conference.”  May there be more steps forward, pal. 

Pacific Leaders Meet in Washington

The Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders (PICL), representing 12 Pacific nations and territories—including Hawaii and two French dependencies---recently completed its latest triennial meeting, the first in Washington, with participants agreeing that the gathering established “a way forward for strengthening U.S.-Pacific Islands relations.”  The meeting offered participants an opportunity to discuss issues of interest with representatives of Congress, the State Department and the private sector.  These included economic development, security, trade, aid, environmental protection, climate change, fishing and emergency response to natural disasters.  One discussed at length was U.S. military expansion on Guam.  PICL leaders were told Washington intends to explore ways to ensure their nations would benefit from the estimated $14 billion construction program expected to result from the relocation of some 8,000 American troops from Okinawa to Guam.  Marshall Islands President Kessai Note noted that rising sea levels is a “major security issue” for many of the low-lying island nations. Another sea-related issue of importance was raised by Republic of Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Jr., who encouraged broad participation in the “Micronesian Challenge” program which he said promotes the establishment of marine-protected areas throughout the Pacific Islands region.

2007/2008 Asian-American Yearbook Published

At a May reception in the Asian Reading Room of the Library of Congress, the TIYM Publishing Co. of McLean, Va., issued the 2007/2008, and fourth, edition of its Asian-American Yearbook (AsAY).  Dr. Anchi Hoh of the library’s Asia Division was mistress of ceremonies for the occasion, which included remarks by Dr. Hwa-wei Lee, the library’s Asia Division Chief;  Dr. Jeremy Adamson, LOC Director of Collections and Services; Under Secretary of Defense Dr. David Chu; Congressman Michael Honda  (D-Ca.); representatives of the Department of Defense, Minister Zheng Zeguang, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Chinese embassy; U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Junior Grade Antonio Donis; and TIYM President and CEO Angela Zavala.  The AsAY contains, among other things, detailed demographics and other statistics about Asian Pacific Americans in the U.S. and elsewhere, including APA businesses and business opportunities for APAs, AP countries of the world and diplomatic missions to Washington and the United Nations (except Taiwan) and APA organizations, publications and media in the U.S.  For more information, including how to be included in the AsAY, call 703/734-1632 or visit www.tiym.com. 

U.S. Business Mission to Vietnam Set for June 17-29

Vietnam’s bilateral trade with the U.S. was more than nine billion dollars in 2006, according to the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council, which said this is a five-fold increase since with 2001 Bilateral Trade Agreement, which removed high tariff and other trade barriers between the two countries.  “Many countries are looking at Vietnam as the best option besides China in sourcing quality and competitively-priced products,” the council said.  And as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the council noted, “Vietnam provides many investment opportunities in various industries,” including textiles, garments, shoes, food processing, manufacturing, IT, real estate and financial services.  To help American firms do business in Vietnam, the Vietnam Resource Group, LLC (www.vietgroup.net) is organizing a U.S. Business Mission to Vietnam June 17-29, in connection with the International Industry Fair and a series of conferences on U.S.-Vietnam trade and investment cooperation in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), the country’s three main commercial, trade and investment hubs.  For more information, contact usvietnamchamber@yahoo.com.

‘Nomad’ vs. ‘Borat’:  The Real Kazakhstan Stands Up

First came “Borat,” a slapstick movie by and featuring a British comedian about “Kazakhstan,” but in reality having nothing to with the Central Asian nation, which it mocks throughout its plot.  Now, there is “Nomad,” which, as described by Roman Vassilenko of the Kazakhstan embassy in Washington, is “an epic movie about the struggle of the Kazakhs for their survival as a nation.”  “Nomad,” now showing in theaters in the U.S., is set in 18^th century Kazakhstan, “a vast, pitiless region of austere and terrible beauty, where a boy is “destined to one day unite the three warring tribes of the country who have survived and fought for centuries—against invaders, against formidable enemies and among themselves.  A warrior saves an infant from an invader’s assassins and raises the child to fulfill the prophecy.”  Mr. Vassilenko says “Nomad” is loosely based on the life story of the legendary Kazakh ruler Abylai Kahn, considered the founder of the Kazakh state.   “Nomad” is not a response to “Borat,” Vassilenko says.  Indeed, it was “conceived and in production when few people had even heard of “Borat”  and that the idea for “Nomad” came from Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.  It was made in partnership with Kazakhfilm, the national movie company and several American directors, producers and actors.  For more information, contact Roman Vassilenko at info@kazakhembus.com or 202/232-5488x104.

Indonesians Discuss Religious Tolerance

The Indonesian embassy in Washington recently hosted a lunch to discuss the image of the mainly Muslim Southeast Asian nation following a series of attacks on Christians there in 2005.  Washington Times reporter Julia Duin said participants included Philip Widjaja of the Buddhist Council of Indonesia; Abdul Mu’ti, a former chairman of the Muhammadiyah Youth organization; the Rev. Izaak Hendriks, a Presbyterian who teaches at Moluccan Christian University in Ambon; the Rev. Ignatius Ismartono of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Indonesia; and Richard Daulay, secretary of the Indonesian Community of Churches.  Mr. Mu’ti told Miss Duin Indonesian Muslims are “more tolerant of local customs and less strident” than their co-religionists in the Middle East.  He said most Indonesian Muslim scholars do not know English well and their works are written only in Indonesian.  “That is why so little about Indonesian Islam is known,” he said.  With approximately 170 adherents Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim community.  There also are 20 million Protestants, 6.5 million Buddhists, four million Hindus and one million Confucians.  But, Washington Times “Embassy Row” columnist James Morrison wrote, “the group that most concerned the luncheon guests were the 5,500 Mormons in the country, who are busily converting Muslims and Christians.”  Mr. Mu’ti was quoted as saying that “The Mormons are causing problems because they’ve been visiting families in their homes.  Morrison said “Proselytism and conversions are frowned upon in Indonesia.”  Mitt Romney, take note.