    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [August 30, 2007]
    [Pages 1135-1145]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With Foreign Print Media
    August 30, 2007

        The President. So like, what are the rules?
        National Security Council Senior Director for East Asian Affairs
    Dennis C. Wilder. On the record.
        The President. I'm talking about for these people back here.
        National Security Council Press Secretary Gordon Johndroe. It's all on the record. It's embargoed until these
    fine people have a chance to run their stories.
        The President. Good. Thanks. I'm looking forward to my trip. This is
    the seventh APEC summit that I've been to. I find them to be important
    for the United States in the following ways.
        One, it's an opportunity to stress the importance that we place upon
    basic values, basic value of liberty, basic value of open markets in
    order to enhance prosperity. It's a chance to remind people that we are
    linked together. It's an interesting setting, when you have people from
    different cultures, different languages come together for a common
    purpose. I think that's important.
        It's also a chance for me to remind our country how important it is
    to have constructive ties in Asia. Asia is a place where we've spilt a
    lot of blood in the past, and now it's a place of peace. Asia is a place
    where the United States was engaged militarily, and now we're engaged
    culturally and socially and economically in a way that is constructive
    for our peoples.
        It will be an opportunity for--remind me that it's possible for
    enemies to be allies and for enemies to be friends. It's a lesson for a
    lot of us to think about when we think about the Middle East, that forms
    of government matter and hopeful societies yield peace.
        I'm looking forward to the discussions about trade. The first
    priority for trade for me at the meeting will be on Doha. I'm a firm
    believer in free trade. I believe the Doha round is the best opportunity
    for us to accomplish a couple of objectives. One is to fight off
    protectionism and trade freely, and secondly is to help eliminate
    poverty. This will be an opportunity for the leaders of the APEC summit
    to express their desire to see the Doha round succeed. We'll take the
    lead in that, along with other nations.
        There's also an opportunity for us to start talking about a free
    trade agreement of the Pacific region. And I'm looking forward to having
    that dialog, begin the dialog. It would just be kind of an interesting
    opportunity to have the dialog on this aspect of our strategic
    partnership there and to move forward. We've got a lot of--we've got
    some free trade agreements with people, and that will be at the table.
    I'd like to see those free trade agreements become regionalized.
        Opportunity for me to continue to talk about the struggle between
    radicalism and reasonableness, between extremism and people that want to
    live in peace. I happen to believe--I'm sure you've heard me say this--
    that we're in a major ideological struggle--a struggle we will win, by
    the way. But it's going to require resolve and dedication. And this will
    be an opportunity for me to remind our friends at the table that this is
    the call of our time and that we have an opportunity to write a hopeful
    chapter here in the beginning of the 21st century and to thank people
    around the table for understanding this is the call of the time, because
    there's been a lot of constructive engagement and good work, all aimed
    at protecting ourselves from short-term attack--in the short term from
    attack and recognizing that changing conditions of life in the long term
    will enable us to live in peace.

    [[Page 1136]]

        And finally, I'm looking forward to reminding people that I take the
    climate change issue seriously; that we recognize that there needs to be
    international--an international accord to get people at the table who
    are the major emitters to set a goal. Step one to solving a problem is
    to set the goal on what we ought to achieve. If you want somebody to be
    a part of the problem--a part of the solution, you need to let them be a
    part of defining what the goal ought to be. That's the strategy.
        So many of the people at the APEC table are going to come to the
    major economy conference that--those of us who are emitters will be
    there, including China, which will be at the table. I don't want to
    single China out, but China has got a major role to play. Any agreement
    without China is not going to be an effective agreement. So my strategy
    has been to get China at the table. We will further the dialog. John
    Howard has got some very interesting ways to
    further the dialog in a constructive way, particularly talking about
    energy usage. So we'll be looking forward to his leadership on the
    issue. When I told him I was looking forward to coming, we discussed
    this issue. He's concerned about greenhouse gases. And so he'll take the
    lead here at the conference, and the United States will play a
    constructive role.
        Anyway, that's why I'm looking forward to going. We've got a big
    agenda. It's my second trip to Australia. I remind people that
    Australia--parts of Australia reminds me of Texas--[laughter]--and
    there's no higher compliment. [Laughter]
        So, given that, Geoff, why don't you start off? We'll do two rounds,
    then I've got to go.

    Asia-Pacific Region-U.S. Relations/North Korea/China

        Q. Thanks, Mr. President. I think on behalf of all of us, I can say
    thank you very much for this opportunity today.
        The President. Thanks.
        Q. As you've just analyzed, Mr. President, obviously Iraq and the
    Middle East, the war on terror is an overarching policy issue for the
    Bush administration. Nonetheless, there has been a perception in the
    region that this has distracted Washington from engagement in Asia.
    There's been some criticism on that score. Some people are calling this
    the Pacific century. You're cutting short your trip to Sydney because of
    the Iraq issue. I'm just wondering, do you think that's warranted, that
    criticism, and do you see China, for instance, playing the role--the
    driver in the Pacific century, not the U.S.?
        The President. No, it's interesting, first of all, this
    administration has got good bilateral relations with Japan, good
    bilateral relations with China, good bilateral relations with Korea. Our
    relationship with the ASEAN countries are as strong as America has ever
    been, and of course our ties with Australia are tight, really tight.
        And the reason I say that is, is that this just doesn't happen
    without work. And I have worked hard to develop bilateral relations in
    such a way that we can achieve strategic objectives. I believe the
    relations with the United States and the Asian-Pacific region have never
    been better, and as a result, we're addressing problems and creating
    opportunities.
        One problem, of course, is North Korea. When I came into office, the
    world was expecting the United States to solve the North Korea issue
    alone. To me--and the North Korean leader had
    basically not honored the bilateral agreement that had been struck, and
    therefore, felt like we needed to put this issue in a position in which
    others were speaking besides the United States--and have started the
    six-party talks. Five countries were convinced to come to the table on
    one side to convince the North Korean leader to give up his nuclear
    weapons ambitions. It's working. That wouldn't have happened without
    engagement and good, solid relations.

    [[Page 1137]]

        Another issue obviously is our bilateral relations with China. It's
    the same--you're in a little different position in that you've got a
    nice trade surplus with China. We've got a trade deficit with China. And
    it's important for us to have a--given the complexity of our
    relationship, that we've got a strategic relationship that allows for
    engagement and for us to help deal with a major trade deficit, for
    example, and/or product safety or a SARS outbreak. Secretary Paulson--I empowered Secretary Paulson to
    develop this special working relationship with China. And it requires a
    lot of engagement. It requires engagement at the top, with President Hu
    Jintao, who I respect, as well as people in my
    Cabinet. So there's a lot of interchange. For those who argue that, they
    really haven't--frankly haven't followed how engaged we have been.
        Is China an issue for the world? Absolutely. But I don't view it as
    a negative issue; I view it as an opportunity to work with a--one of the
    really significantly growing economies in the world.
        Here's the way I view it: First, I view that a growing middle class
    in China is good for U.S. exporters. It provides opportunity. And it's--
    by the way, it's not only good for U.S. exports; it's good for
    Australian exporters, and it's good for Japanese exporters, and it's
    good for Singaporean, Malaysian. Anybody who is making a product
    somebody wants, it's just a good opportunity.
        And so as a part of our engagement with China, we have worked with
    Hu Jintao to convince him to help convert his
    economy from one of savers to one of consumers, which means--and by the
    way, that takes a lot of effort and work to get in a position where you
    can even make those kind of constructive suggestions--which means the
    development of a pension system or health care, so that people don't
    feel like they have to hoard their money to save for a rainy day, but in
    fact, there's some kind of safety net that is predictable, which then
    would convert a Chinese person who is beginning to realize better income
    into a consumer. And then all of a sudden, you've got consumers, which
    provide opportunity.
        Now, Hu Jintao actually gave these remarks at
    the White House--along these lines--at the East Room there. It took a
    lot of trust and work to get--to enable him to make that statement, but
    that's the kind of statement which people around the region ought to
    say, thankfully--I'm thankful that he was able to say that, because it
    takes what some view as a problem and converts it into a great
    opportunity for all of us to grow our respective economies.

    Trade

        Q. Huge economic opportunity--you see China as the big grower of the
    economy in the Asia Pacific?
        The President. No, I see the United States as the big driver for
    trade. We're a significant economy. At APEC, people ought to be
    wondering whether or not George Bush is going to keep taxes low to make
    sure our economy continues to grow, because we're a significant trading
    partner. I view China as an opportunity.
        I think the United States is going to drive a lot of the trade.
    That's why we conducted--now, having said that, I think China will
    provide opportunity for Australian producers, but we also provide the
    same opportunity. I don't view it as a zero-sum game, let me put it to
    you that way. I view it as an--I view--all of us contribute, so long as
    the world doesn't slip into protectionism. And part of the reason one
    goes to APEC is to promote trade and opportunity.
        Tia.

    China-U.S. Relations/War on Terror

        Q. Just following up about China. Do you consider actually China is
    a friend or an enemy? And how do you plan to win the hearts and win the
    markets in the world, including in Southeast Asian countries like
    Indonesia?

    [[Page 1138]]

        The President. Well, I think, first of all, we have a complex
    relationship with China. It is one that--where it is growing; it's
    changing. The United States strongly supports markets. China is a market
    that's developing. On the other hand, we also support open societies,
    transparency, where people are allowed to express themselves in a free
    society. I believe in freedom of religion. I believe in basic freedoms.
        So our relationship with China is, on the one hand, we welcome
    trading opportunities. We want there to be free trade and fair trade; we
    want the currency to float. These are complex issues. And what makes the
    relationship even more complex is, at the same time, we believe in human
    rights and human dignity. And we worked with the Chinese leadership to
    promote human rights and human dignity.
        So it's not--it's hard to define the relationship in kind of a
    simple, one-sentence structure. And so ``complex'' is probably the best
    way to say, but positive. As I told you, I view China as a positive
    opportunity. And from a personal perspective, have got warm and cordial
    relationships with President Hu Jintao. I like him;
    I like to talk to him. He's a smart man. We can share issues together. I
    can say, ``What are your biggest problems?'' And he can say to me,
    ``What are your problems?'' In other words, we've got a personal
    relationship.
        And that's the way I try to do with all leaders because the best
    diplomacy is when you can sit down with somebody one on one and speak
    candidly about issues and problems. We're problem-solvers. See, that's
    what leaders do. You see problems and you anticipate problems and work
    together to accomplish something. And therefore, there has to be a
    personal relationship.
        I've also got a very good relationship with your leader. And so bilateral relations--first of all, in
    the Muslim world, it's very important for people to understand that the
    war on terror is not a war against Muslims; it's a war against
    murderers. I don't believe religious people, truly religious people kill
    the innocent. At least that's not the religion I believe in. And
    therefore, it's important for leaders and countries to work together to
    prevent the murder of the innocent and, at the same time, make sure that
    we respect--America, in my case, respects religion, values the right for
    people to worship, and, in the case of Islam, values Islam as an
    important part of the international scene in the world we live in.
        Otsuka.

    North Korea/Abduction of Japanese Citizens

        Q. Thank you very much, sir.
        The President. How are you?
        Q. Good.
        The President. Have we met before?
        Q. No, first time.
        The President. Yes, well, I'm better for it. [Laughter]
        Q. I have a question on North Korea.
        The President. North Korea, sure.
        Q. Is it possible that North Korea will give up nuclear weapons
    program by the end of your term? And to help achieve it, are you ready
    to remove North Korea from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, even
    without the resolution of Japanese abductee issue?
        The President. Yes, thank you. As to the first part of your
    question, I certainly hope that North Korea honors its agreements.
    They--in September of 2006, they made a substantial agreement to
    disclose and dismantle all aspects of a nuclear weapons program. Is that
    right, September 6th?
        National Security Adviser Stephen J. Hadley. 2005.
        The President. Yes, 2005, excuse me. And here we are in 2007, nearly
    2 years later, where we're still reminding them of that agreement. On
    the other hand, a lot has happened in the last couple of months that
    would lead me to believe that we're on--we're making progress. And we
    will continue to push toward the full disclosure and dismantlement.

    [[Page 1139]]

        Secondly, we have--different aspects of our relationship are on the
    table, but it's performance based. In other words, we expect people to
    honor their agreements.
        Finally, as I assured Prime Minister Abe,
    that we're not going to forget the abductee issue. He and the Japanese
    people are very concerned that once certain aspects of the agreement are
    achieved, that we will forget the fact that Japanese citizens have been
    abducted.
        Well, let me tell you something, Otsuka--Ryuichi.
        Q. Ryuichi.
        The President. Ryuichi. I'll never forget the meeting I had with
    the mother--it's very important for your
    readers to know that that had a deep impression on me--the mother whose
    daughter was abducted by North Koreans. I
    can't imagine what that would mean. I guess I can imagine what it would
    mean; I just can't understand, fully understand the pain that she felt--
    still feels. And I'll never forget her coming to the Oval Office with
    the picture of that little girl, picture of her daughter who got
    abducted. She sat right there in the Oval Office. And my point to you
    is, is that I'm not going to forget the mother or forget the fact.
        And so we'll work with the--continue to work with the Japanese to
    make it clear to the North Koreans that we also expect there to be
    resolution to this issue. In other words, I understand, as well as I
    possibly can, the emotion that people attach to this issue.
        Salmy.

    Organization of Islamic Conference/War on Terror

        Q. Yes, sir. Mr. President.
        The President. By the way, happy 50th.
        Q. Thank you, sir.
        The President. I remember when I turned 50; I felt old. [Laughter]
    But now that I'm over 60, it's not that old.
        Q. Not that bad.
        The President. No, it really isn't. You're not even close. You
    wouldn't even know.
        Q. You look very young, sir.
        The President. You are young. Oh, I look young? [Laughter] Good. I'm
    feeling pretty young, thanks. It's all in your mind.
        Q. Sir, your administration has indicated interest to appoint a
    special envoy to the Organization of Islamic Conference, or the OIC.
    Have you identified the person? And what will he or she do to bridge
    relations with the Islamic countries in the Muslim world, in light of
    the war in Iraq and in light of the detention of extremists from Muslim
    countries?
        The President. First of all, we have not identified the person yet.
    We're working toward that end. As a matter of fact, I spoke to the
    Secretary of State about this this morning,
    coincidentally enough. And she's coming in, I think, tomorrow. Anyway,
    we're working the issue.
        Secondly, the reason why I suggested--or announced that we're going
    to do this is because I am concerned about the perceptions in the Muslim
    world that the United States views the war on terror as a war against a
    particular religion. And I just explained to you that this is a war of
    extremists and radicals, ideologues driven by a vision that is not--that
    hijacks religion in order to justify their position. And any chance we
    have to dispel false notion and to reinforce the realities is helpful to
    the United States and frankly others as well. And so that's the reason
    to name the envoy.
        It also is a clear signal that we respect nations and that we treat
    the Islamic world seriously. And you can do that all different kinds of
    ways. It's just another statement. It's another moment for people to see
    the seriousness of intent. In terms of--murder is murder, and murder to
    achieve political objectives is--needs to be stopped. People murdered
    Americans to achieve a political objective. There's a debate in our
    country whether that's true or not. I've made up my mind. I believe it's
    absolutely fundamentally true because I'm listening to

    [[Page 1140]]

    what the enemy says, the enemy of freedom, what they're saying. They
    say, ``We want a caliphate, we want to spread our vision.''
        It took a military action, by the way, to liberate people from that
    vision in Afghanistan. This wasn't an attack on Islam; this was an
    attack for liberty. Think about a society in which you two could not
    function in what you're doing because of your gender. Why? Because the
    vision of these people--who murder the innocent, by the way, to achieve
    their vision--is that women aren't equal. And it just so happened that,
    given the way the world is today, that that kind of ideologue provided
    safe haven for people who plotted and killed people in our country. One,
    I'm not going to stand for it; I'm going to protect America, just like
    any other leader would protect their own country. And two, one way to
    achieve long-term peace is to help people realize forms of government
    that give hope. And so whether it be in Afghanistan and Iraq, we're
    helping people realize the blessings of freedom. And frankly, the world
    ought to be in there helping. And they are, many are.
        Freedom yields peace. Asia is peaceful. Why? Because freedom is
    prevailing, that's why. Forms of government matter. And so the
    ambassador to the OIC or the President or any other representative of
    America will be expressing this deep desire to work together to achieve
    peace.
        Derwin.

    Six-Party Talks/U.S. Foreign Policy in Asia

        Q. Mr. President, what do you think you have achieved with regards
    to U.S. ties with Asia during your time in office? And what do you
    consider to be unfinished business?
        The President. Unfinished business is North Korea. It's--let me just
    say, it is finishing. In other words, we're making progress. The six-
    party talks is working. The first step was to get people to the table,
    to remind people that it's just not the United States with
    responsibility. The purpose of the--getting all five of us to the table
    is so that if North Korea tried to say, ``Well, I'm really--I said I was
    going to do it, but I'm not going to do it,'' then there is somebody
    else also saying, ``And here are the consequences.''
        And so that's a major step forward. And now it's beginning to work
    because they're verifiably beginning to shut down the reactor. And so
    we've got more to do.
        So it's finishing, but unfinished. ``Unfinished'' is kind of a
    loaded word, in a way. Sort of like--the question is, can it happen
    before I'm through? Yes, it can. I hope so. But I'm not--we're not in
    control of--we're in control of putting the process in place and making
    sure it's consequential if somebody doesn't go forward. But it's the
    leader of North Korea who gets to the make the
    decision. It's his choice to make. I've made my choice. It's his choice
    to make.
        Let me reiterate a little bit of what I said earlier. The definition
    of successful foreign policy is to be in a position to work with others
    to solve problems. And this administration has worked hard to be in a
    position to convince others to work together to solve problems.
        I've just outlined some of the problems, some of the problems--
    whether or not trade is open and people are treated fairly. One classic
    example of this is intellectual property rights. I know that's a deep
    concern to your Government, just like it is to all our governments, that
    if you're trading with a country, you want to make sure that those
    intellectual property rights are treated respectfully.
        And in some societies, it's difficult. And therefore, we have to be
    in a position to work collaboratively and bilaterally to convince
    countries that in order to be a part of the international world, you
    have to honor contract. And one contract is, you don't steal somebody
    else's intellectual property. That's hard work. But nevertheless, those
    kind of relationships exist now; we're able to have those kind of
    dialogs.

    [[Page 1141]]

        There's been a lot of cooperation on the security front in
    remarkable ways since I've been President. The leadership of your
    country knows full well the dangers of extremism prevailing and have
    been very strong in working, for example, on the Proliferation Security
    Initiative. This is an initiative where many APEC nations have agreed to
    help find and stop the shipment of materiels which could end up in the
    hands of extremists and radicals that could harm us.
        And it took a while to get this relationship in place. But it's a
    relationship that is necessary to help prevent weapons of mass
    destruction from being moved. And it's been a very effective
    relationship. And here's a classic case of a successful collaborative
    effort.
        The biggest danger we have, it seems like to me, is isolationism and
    protectionism becoming prevalent philosophies. One of the things that
    this administration has done in working with our friends is to work hard
    to explain to people the beneficial nature of trading together. And
    therefore--and that's manifested, by the way, in, for example, the free
    trade agreement with Australia, which wasn't a given. And there were
    some difficulties to overcome in Australia and in the United States, but
    nevertheless, we got it done. And entering into free trade agreements
    with other nations, such as Singapore, has been good ways of making sure
    that we codify the benefits of open trading relationships.
        And so there's been a lot of progress made, and the North Korean
    issue is the issue that we're spending a lot of time on and, hopefully,
    we can get completed.
        One more round. Geoff.

    Opposition Leader Kevin M. Rudd of Australia/
    President's Upcoming Visit to Australia

        Q. Okay. Mr. President, thank you. Just to the domestic scene, we've
    got Federal elections, as you know, coming up in Australia. Last time
    around, you had some comments with regards to the then opposition
    leader's policies on Iraq. You described his policy of withdrawal from
    Iraq as disastrous. You have a one-on-one meeting with the opposition
    leader, Kevin Rudd; he's ahead in the polls. He's also got a policy in
    Iraq which talks about withdrawal, albeit with caveats. I'm just
    wondering, what's your view of the opposition leader, Kevin Rudd? What
    will you discuss in the meeting? And what do you make of his Iraq
    policy?
        The President. Yes, first of all, I think it makes sense for me to
    reach out to leading political figures when I go to other countries. And
    so I'm looking forward to this meeting. I don't know much about him,
    frankly. Obviously, I haven't--maybe I met him; I don't remember meeting
    him. When I spoke to the Parliament----
        Q. He was an opposition member then.
        The President. Could have been shaking hands. I'm going to remind
    him that, one, the stakes in Iraq are very high for peace; that the
    liberation of a country--that country was important for peace; and that
    a democracy--Iraqi-style democracy in the heart of the Middle East is
    part of winning this ideological struggle. So the first thing I'm going
    to do is explain to him my views about this--the world in which we live.
    And I'll remind him that, as far as I'm concerned, that leaving Iraq
    before the job is done will cause an enemy that attacked us before to
    become emboldened. And as John Abizaid put
    it, to think the enemy will stay there and not follow us here is--in
    other words, we leave before the job is done, they will follow us home.
        That--I will remind him that the best way to conduct policy is based
    upon conditions on the ground; that success is important; that
    conditions ought to be driving troop deployments. And that's how--I'll
    tell him how--what I would hope all our coalition partners would view
    the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    [[Page 1142]]

        Having said that, I do appreciate very much the fact that the
    Australians have sacrificed and have served. And I'm looking forward to
    seeing some Australian troops with Prime Minister Howard to thank them and, as importantly, thank their families
    for joining America and a lot of other countries in the great cause of
    liberation and peace.
        It's going to be an interesting trip, and what's interesting about
    these trips is that the time around the table with leaders is important,
    but also the time sitting down with individuals is important as well.
    It's a good opportunity to conduct foreign policy. And as I told you, a
    lot of foreign policy, for me, is the capacity to just look at somebody
    in the eye and tell them what I think and listen to what they think.
    It's finding that common ground, if possible, to solve problems. Leaders
    are problem-solvers. And sometimes you can solve problems by
    anticipating them and putting the conditions in place so that they won't
    arise in the first place. And sometimes they just show up, and you
    better be in a position to deal with them.

    Military Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

        Q. Can I just clarify something?
        The President. Yes.
        Q. Mr. Rudd is--his theater--he's talked about the importance of
    Afghanistan, talking about withdrawing our troops from Iraq. But do you
    support that they stay, that view?
        The President. Support what view?
        Q. That he is determined to--he has determined that the issue on
    Afghanistan--to keep troops in Afghanistan.
        The President. I view both Iraq and Afghanistan as theaters of the
    same war against radicals and extremists and look forward to sharing my
    views with Mr. Rudd, of course, and continue our
    discussions, strategic discussions with John Howard. I mean, all right.
        Tia, back to you again.

    Abu Bakar Ba'asyir

        Q. Thank you, Mr. President. My next question would touch on
    Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.
        The President. About what?
        Q. Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.
        The President. Yes, right, right.
        Q. As you might know, since he was released from jail, has been
    exercising activities like any other citizens, including recently--last
    weekend he inaugurated a long march participated by about 1,000 of his
    followers, in connection with that commemoration, or welcoming the
    Ramadan, Islamic fasting month. Actually, how close has your Government
    monitored the activities of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir? And my main question is,
    do you think Ba'asyir is still dangerous?
        The President. First of all, I didn't know he led a parade of a
    thousand people. So that may answer your first question. I'm sure our
    Embassy is aware of the activities that take place in your country. I
    mean, you are a free country where people are allowed to express
    themselves in the public square, which is a sign of a healthy society.
        I am concerned, however, about anybody who preaches violence and
    extremism and radicalism in a world in which innocent people just get
    simply murdered for ideological purposes. There were some terrible
    murders in your country, as you know, just like in mine, and I'm
    confident that by far the vast majority--all of Indonesia rejects that
    kind of behavior. Innocent people were killed in Bali for no other
    reason than they just happened to be vacationing and because somebody
    wanted to send a political message because they're involved with this
    ideological struggle. And those of us who want there to be peace have
    got to reject this kind of behavior.
        And so your Government is a government of law; your Government will
    conduct itself according to your laws. But anybody who preaches that
    kind of violence in the

    [[Page 1143]]

    name of what I would call a dark political vision needs to be taken
    seriously.

    Japan's Role in the War on Terror

        Q. My next question is about the U.S.-Japan relationship and the war
    on terror.
        The President. Yes, sir.
        Q. The opposition party in Japan is threatening to cut the extension
    of Japanese participation in the antiterrorism operations in the Indian
    Ocean.
        The President. Yes.
        Q. What do you--question: Are you concerned about that? And will you
    be--will you raise this issue when you will meet Prime Minister Abe in
    Australia?
        The President. First of all, Japan has been a positive contributor
    to dealing with the extremists in this ideological war. And I thank the
    Japanese Government and the people of Japan for their contributions. And
    I would hope that they would continue to maintain this--their positive
    influence.
        And of course, my conversations with Prime Minister Abe, whom I respect a great deal, will center on the war on
    terror, as well as a lot of other key issues. Japan has played a
    significant role in many of the things we've discussed here, like
    Proliferation Security Initiative, six-party talks. They've been a
    constructive partner in peace, and I will--we will talk about all
    aspects of our relationship.

    Malaysia-U.S. Relations/Democracy in Malaysia/President's Upcoming
    Meeting With ASEAN Leaders

        Q. Mr. President, tomorrow, August 31st, Malaysia celebrates its
    50th----
        The President. Fiftieth--make sure my congratulatory remarks get in
    your article. Headline: Bush Congratulates Malaysia. [Laughter] Do you
    think that's what it will say?
        Q. Something like that.
        The President. Upbeat, optimistic George Bush--[laughter].
        Q. War on terrorism.
        The President. Yes, sure.
        Q. It also marks the 50th relations between the U.S. and Malaysia--
    --
        The President. Yes.
        Q. So what are your outlook and hopes for U.S.-Malaysia relations,
    and especially with Malaysia being the 10th largest trading partner?
        The President. First of all, I do believe we ought to have--take
    this notion of trade and have meaningful discussions with a potential
    free trade agreement with Malaysia. Secondly, I respect Prime Minister
    Badawi, admire his leadership. When
    his wife died, I tried to call him early just to let him know I cared
    about him.
        Q. He has remarried.
        The President. Has he? Good. I'll congratulate him. Thanks for
    giving me that heads-up. Don't put that in the article, that you had to
    tell me that. You can put it in there if you want. [Laughter] I'll be
    glad to--I'm going to congratulate him. That's neat.
        Mr. Wilder. You did, sir.
        The President. What?
        Mr. Wilder. You did congratulate him.
        The President. Exactly. I'm going to congratulate him again.
    [Laughter] I'll double the congratulations. [Laughter] That's right; I
    did write him a note. I forgot. Did I call him or write him a note?
        Mr. Wilder. You wrote him a note.
        The President. That's right, yes. Sent him a couple flowers. Anyway,
    Malaysia is an interesting example of how a free society can deal with
    movements that could conceivably change and alter the nature of the free
    society. And I respect the way the Prime Minister has used freedom and used the openness of society to
    kind of deal with frustration. I mean, all societies have frustrated
    people. And the question is, will the outlet of that frustration lead to
    violence or lead to peace? And Malaysia is an example of a country where
    frustrations have been channeled in a constructive way. And therefore,
    he's a leader, as far as I'm concerned, and a very constructive force
    for Southeast Asia.

    [[Page 1144]]

        By the way, I am going to meet with the ASEAN leaders, which is an
    important meeting as well. It's an opportunity for the United States to
    stay very much engaged with ASEAN. I unfortunately will not be there for
    the 60th, but look forward to having an event that would kind of
    recognize the importance of ASEAN as far as the United States is
    concerned.

    President's Upcoming Meeting With ASEAN Leaders/Alternative Fuel
    Sources/Environment

        Q. So this is a side meeting with the ASEAN leaders after APEC
    meeting, sir?
        The President. Yes, a side meeting with the ASEAN leaders at APEC. I
    try to do that every time. So they'll have somebody like--I'll sit down
    and meet with the ASEAN nations as well.
        The other thing that's interesting about Malaysia is, they're going
    to be one of the leaders on alternative fuels.
        Q. Biofuel.
        The President. Biofuels--absolutely. And that's another area where
    we can work together. As you know, I'm an alternative fuels person. I
    believe that it's in our interests that we develop the technologies
    necessary to deal with energy dependence as well as greenhouse gases.
    Back to the climate changes--the way--if you're truly interested in
    dealing with greenhouse gases, people need to focus on the development
    of technologies that will enable us to, on the one hand, grow our
    economies, on the other hand, be good stewards of the environment.
        Just for the record--and this probably won't be a headline, although
    I've tried to make it one a lot--when it comes time to climate change,
    there's one major industrialized nation that actually grew its economy
    and reduced greenhouse gases; that would be the United States of
    America--that actually had greenhouse gases go down and the economy go
    up. So something is working here, and it's technologies, use of
    technologies. And so I'm going to be reminding people about--that we can
    come up with a strategy that doesn't impoverish our people and, at the
    same time, takes advantage of technologies. And we're going to need to
    share some technologies with newly emerging economies in order to
    achieve this objective.
        Anyway, I forgot to make that point.
        Q. Mr. President, there appears to be----
        The President. I'm not making the point to you, as you can tell.
    That's why I'm kind of looking over your shoulder. [Laughter]

    Asia-Pacific Region-U.S. Relations

        Q. There appears to be a perception in Southeast Asia that this
    administration has neglected the region. How do you plan to convince
    them otherwise when you meet in APEC?
        The President. Well, I--do you want to ask another question, because
    I already answered it. I'll be glad to answer it again--which is, we've
    got strong bilateral--first of all, the number of trips I've taken--I've
    gone to every APEC meeting. I've spent a lot of time with leaders both
    here and in your respective countries--that we've got relations to a
    point where we can work together to solve common problems. PSI is one
    such example of a strategy we've implemented to deal with the realities
    of the world. North Korea is another example.
        And so it's--the truth of the matter is, I spend a lot of time
    working on Asian matters. And all I'll ask you to do is look at the
    results of the individual relationships and the ability to put processes
    in place to deal with the threats we live in and the capacity to work
    together to solve problems and to create opportunities. And to me,
    that's a sign of a healthy, robust relationship with an important part
    of the world.
        Okay. Thank you all. Enjoyed it. Looking forward to making the trip.

    [[Page 1145]]

    Note: The interview was taped at 11:30 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. In his remarks, the President referred to Prime Minister
    John W. Howard of Australia; Chairman Kim Jong Il of North Korea;
    President Hu Jintao of China; President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of
    Indonesia; Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan; Sakie Yokota, mother of
    Megumi Yokota, who was abducted by North Korean authorities; and Gen.
    John P. Abizaid, USA, commander, U.S. Central Command. A reporter
    referred to Mark Latham, former leader, Australian Labor Party. The
    transcript was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on August
    31. A tape was not available for verification of the content of this
    interview.