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AMBASSADORSHIP NOMINATIONS; COMMITTEE: SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS
CQ Congressional Testimony
May 15, 2014 Thursday
CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY TESTIMONY-BY: NINA HACHIGIAN, NOMINEE
AFFILIATION: THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN)
Statement of Nina Hachigian Nominee, Ambassador The Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Committee on Senate Foreign Relations
May 15, 2014
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee,
I am deeply honored to appear before you today, and humbled by the
confidence that President Obama has shown in me with this nomination.
My Armenian grandmother, whose locket I am wearing, had only a grade
school education. When she came to this country, fleeing persecution
and poverty in her homeland, I don't think she could have imagined
the path that would bring me here. Her younger son served in the
U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He earned a Ph.D. in math,
married another professor from Germany (my mother, who later became
a small business owner), and they had a daughter who ended up at this
table. I am my grandmother's American dream.
My parents would also have been very proud of this nomination. I would
like to introduce my husband. My family is more important to me than
anything, and I wouldn't be here if he and our two children were not
willing to embark on a genuine adventure. I've been working on U.S.
Asia policy for some 15 years now, since I left the staff of the
National Security Council first as the director of the Center for Asia
Pacific Policy at the RAND Corporation, and now as a Senior Fellow
at the Center for American Progress. In those jobs, I traveled to the
region frequently and had the opportunity to meet with Asian leaders
and work closely with my Asian counterparts.
I am thrilled by the prospect of entering government again, and
serving my country, if confirmed as the next Ambassador to ASEAN. I
want to acknowledge the key role that members of the Senate and
of the House have played in recognizing the growing importance of
ASEAN, including creating this position in 2006. I will count on
your continued engagement if confirmed. Just as the rebalance to
Asia is an important part of the Administration's foreign policy,
engagement with ASEAN plays a central role in the rebalance.
Increasingly, the most challenging issues in Asia - energy security,
territorial disputes, climate, human trafficking - can only be solved
multilaterally. ASEAN is at the heart of Asia's institutions, providing
the architecture to work through these issues, and that is why as
Secretary Kerry said last year: "The partnership that we share with
ASEAN remains a top priority for the Obama Administration." What binds
the ten countries in ASEAN together is their commitment to non-violence
and the rule of law. We share those values, and we share ASEAN's vision
of a peaceful, prosperous rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific. If
confirmed, and with your help, I will work with ASEAN to further our
common values, including human rights for the people of Southeast Asia.
The United States has other important interests in the region including
economic opportunity. Southeast Asia's over 600 million people already
are America's fourth largest export market, supporting over half
a million US jobs. ASEAN is pursuing an integrated ASEAN Economic
Community, and the United States is supporting that effort.
In 2012, President Obama established the U.S.-ASEAN Expanded Economic
Engagement initiative to promote increased U.S. trade with and
investment in the region, and to encourage ASEAN countries to join
high-standard trade agreements. If confirmed, and with your help,
I will continue this work to expand U.S. businesses' access to the
growing ASEAN market, creating more jobs for Americans and realizing
ASEAN's own goals.
Energy, environment and climate are critical issues in Southeast Asia.
As a Californian, I especially welcome the chance to engage with the
region on how to protect oceans and rivers--these critical natural
resources that provide food security and economic livelihoods for
so many. Our engagement with ASEAN is also about its people, many
of whom are our relatives. Over 6 million Americans identify with an
ASEAN ethnicity.
The region is young. Sixty five percent of ASEAN's people are under
the age of 35. With the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative that
President Obama launched in April, we are looking to build ties with
the leaders of tomorrow, giving them a platform to work across ASEAN
borders to solve social and economic challenges.
All of our interests in Southeast Asia ultimately rest on the peace
and stability made possible by our enduring security presence in the
Asia Pacific. Two treaty allies, the Philippines and Thailand, are
members of ASEAN, and all five Pacific allies are members of the East
Asia Summit. The U.S. response after Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines
shows the unique capabilities our military and civilian agencies bring
to bear and demonstrates our deep and abiding commitment to addressing
both traditional and non-traditional security challenges in the region.
Half of the tonnage of the world's ship-based cargo passes through
the South China Sea. The United States has a national interest in
the unfettered flow of this commerce and in freedom of navigation
and overflight in these waters. We have a deep stake in ensuring
that the territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea
are solved peacefully, without coercion, force, or intimidation and
in accordance with international law.
Unfortunately, we have seen lately what appears to be a pattern of
unilateral actions by China to advance its territorial and maritime
claims, the latest of which is China's introduction of an oil rig
into disputed waters near the Paracel Islands. This is provocative and
raises tensions, and it highlights the need for claimants to clarify
their claims in accordance with international law. America supports
ASEAN's strong and unified voice on these disputes and its efforts to
manage them in a manner that is consistent with a rules-based regional
order and international law. We encourage ASEAN and China's efforts
to conclude a meaningful Code of Conduct. A peaceful, rules-based
process will benefit all the claimants, big and small and help preserve
regional peace and stability.
An effective ASEAN will have lasting benefits for the region and for
our shared future. If confirmed, and with your help, I will commit
myself to deepening our ties with this important organization. Thank
you for the opportunity to testify today, and I am happy to answer
your questions, now or at any time in the future.
CQ Congressional Testimony
May 15, 2014 Thursday
CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY TESTIMONY-BY: NINA HACHIGIAN, NOMINEE
AFFILIATION: THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN)
Statement of Nina Hachigian Nominee, Ambassador The Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Committee on Senate Foreign Relations
May 15, 2014
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee,
I am deeply honored to appear before you today, and humbled by the
confidence that President Obama has shown in me with this nomination.
My Armenian grandmother, whose locket I am wearing, had only a grade
school education. When she came to this country, fleeing persecution
and poverty in her homeland, I don't think she could have imagined
the path that would bring me here. Her younger son served in the
U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He earned a Ph.D. in math,
married another professor from Germany (my mother, who later became
a small business owner), and they had a daughter who ended up at this
table. I am my grandmother's American dream.
My parents would also have been very proud of this nomination. I would
like to introduce my husband. My family is more important to me than
anything, and I wouldn't be here if he and our two children were not
willing to embark on a genuine adventure. I've been working on U.S.
Asia policy for some 15 years now, since I left the staff of the
National Security Council first as the director of the Center for Asia
Pacific Policy at the RAND Corporation, and now as a Senior Fellow
at the Center for American Progress. In those jobs, I traveled to the
region frequently and had the opportunity to meet with Asian leaders
and work closely with my Asian counterparts.
I am thrilled by the prospect of entering government again, and
serving my country, if confirmed as the next Ambassador to ASEAN. I
want to acknowledge the key role that members of the Senate and
of the House have played in recognizing the growing importance of
ASEAN, including creating this position in 2006. I will count on
your continued engagement if confirmed. Just as the rebalance to
Asia is an important part of the Administration's foreign policy,
engagement with ASEAN plays a central role in the rebalance.
Increasingly, the most challenging issues in Asia - energy security,
territorial disputes, climate, human trafficking - can only be solved
multilaterally. ASEAN is at the heart of Asia's institutions, providing
the architecture to work through these issues, and that is why as
Secretary Kerry said last year: "The partnership that we share with
ASEAN remains a top priority for the Obama Administration." What binds
the ten countries in ASEAN together is their commitment to non-violence
and the rule of law. We share those values, and we share ASEAN's vision
of a peaceful, prosperous rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific. If
confirmed, and with your help, I will work with ASEAN to further our
common values, including human rights for the people of Southeast Asia.
The United States has other important interests in the region including
economic opportunity. Southeast Asia's over 600 million people already
are America's fourth largest export market, supporting over half
a million US jobs. ASEAN is pursuing an integrated ASEAN Economic
Community, and the United States is supporting that effort.
In 2012, President Obama established the U.S.-ASEAN Expanded Economic
Engagement initiative to promote increased U.S. trade with and
investment in the region, and to encourage ASEAN countries to join
high-standard trade agreements. If confirmed, and with your help,
I will continue this work to expand U.S. businesses' access to the
growing ASEAN market, creating more jobs for Americans and realizing
ASEAN's own goals.
Energy, environment and climate are critical issues in Southeast Asia.
As a Californian, I especially welcome the chance to engage with the
region on how to protect oceans and rivers--these critical natural
resources that provide food security and economic livelihoods for
so many. Our engagement with ASEAN is also about its people, many
of whom are our relatives. Over 6 million Americans identify with an
ASEAN ethnicity.
The region is young. Sixty five percent of ASEAN's people are under
the age of 35. With the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative that
President Obama launched in April, we are looking to build ties with
the leaders of tomorrow, giving them a platform to work across ASEAN
borders to solve social and economic challenges.
All of our interests in Southeast Asia ultimately rest on the peace
and stability made possible by our enduring security presence in the
Asia Pacific. Two treaty allies, the Philippines and Thailand, are
members of ASEAN, and all five Pacific allies are members of the East
Asia Summit. The U.S. response after Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines
shows the unique capabilities our military and civilian agencies bring
to bear and demonstrates our deep and abiding commitment to addressing
both traditional and non-traditional security challenges in the region.
Half of the tonnage of the world's ship-based cargo passes through
the South China Sea. The United States has a national interest in
the unfettered flow of this commerce and in freedom of navigation
and overflight in these waters. We have a deep stake in ensuring
that the territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea
are solved peacefully, without coercion, force, or intimidation and
in accordance with international law.
Unfortunately, we have seen lately what appears to be a pattern of
unilateral actions by China to advance its territorial and maritime
claims, the latest of which is China's introduction of an oil rig
into disputed waters near the Paracel Islands. This is provocative and
raises tensions, and it highlights the need for claimants to clarify
their claims in accordance with international law. America supports
ASEAN's strong and unified voice on these disputes and its efforts to
manage them in a manner that is consistent with a rules-based regional
order and international law. We encourage ASEAN and China's efforts
to conclude a meaningful Code of Conduct. A peaceful, rules-based
process will benefit all the claimants, big and small and help preserve
regional peace and stability.
An effective ASEAN will have lasting benefits for the region and for
our shared future. If confirmed, and with your help, I will commit
myself to deepening our ties with this important organization. Thank
you for the opportunity to testify today, and I am happy to answer
your questions, now or at any time in the future.