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The ongoing US Government shutdown will not reduce the country’s commitment to Asia, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
Kerry described the political crisis triggered by a Government stand-off with the US Congress as “a moment of silliness” that would soon end.
“Do not mistake this momentary episode as anything more than a moment of politics,” Kerry said on the sidelines of the meeting on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.
“Nothing will diminish our commitment to Asia and we will continue to fulfil our responsibilities and our engagement around the world,” he said.
The shutdown has forced US President Barack Obama to cancel his trip to Asia, including to Bali, where he had been due to attend the APEC leaders’ summit on Monday and Tuesday.
Analysts say the cancellation could undermine Obama’s much-touted plan to pivot US foreign policy more towards Asia.
Kerry, who will stand in for Obama at the APEC summit, said the shutdown could send a message that the United States could not get its act together and urged the Congress to end it.
“If it were prolonged, or repeated, people would begin to question the willingness of the United States to stay the course — and its ability to — but that’s not the case and I don’t think it will be the case,” he said.
“The United States will have a budget and the United States will still be the strongest power in the world in terms of our military capacity and the largest economy in the world,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, are among foreign leaders expected to attend the APEC summit.
Leaders from 12 Asia-Pacific nations, including the United States, Japan, Australia and Canada — but excluding China — are also seeking progress in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade negotiations on the sidelines of the Bali meeting.
Kerry and US Trade Representative Michael Froman said delegates made progress during the TPP talks this week and were still hoping they could reach an agreement by year-end.
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