NKorea crisis looms over Clinton tour of Asia, ship sinking overshadows key US-China talks
By Matthew Lee, APFriday, May 21, 2010
Clinton in Asia as NKorea crisis looms
TOKYO — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is kicking off a three-nation tour of Asia.
Her visit was supposed to focus on U.S.-China economic issues, but is being overshadowed by a crisis over North Korea’s sinking of a South Korean warship.
Clinton landed in Japan on Friday for the first leg of the tour that will also take her to China and South Korea. At all three stops, her agenda will be dominated by heightened tensions stemming from an international investigation that blamed North Korea for the torpedoing of the vessel.
Input from the three countries will be key to determining an appropriate response, especially with fears that too tough a reaction could provoke new hostilities or spark chaos in the region.
