Don't Say Hillary Clinton Didn't Warn Us ...

theguardian.com

 

Photos show Beijing’s militarisation of South China Sea in new detail | World news

Tom Phillips

6-8 minutes

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China accused of building ‘island fortresses’ as Philippine newspaper obtains aerial images

The surveillance pictures were mostly taken between June and December last year. Photograph: Inquirer.net/Philippine Daily Inquirer

Beijing has been accused of building “island fortresses” in the South China Sea after a newspaper in the Philippines obtained aerial photographs offering what experts called the most detailed glimpse yet of China’s militarisation of the waterway.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer said the surveillance photographs – passed to its reporters by an unnamed source – were mostly taken between June and December last year and showed Chinese construction activities across the disputed Spratly archipelago between the Philippines and Vietnam.
Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have overlapping claims in the region.
 
Read more >>>>

From 2011.

Secretary Clinton’s Remarks: The South China Sea

July 23, 2011

Vodpod videos no longer available.
South China Sea, posted with vodpod

The South China Sea

Press Statement

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

July 22, 2011

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We commend this week’s announcement that ASEAN and China have agreed on implementing guidelines to facilitate confidence building measures and joint projects in the South China Sea. This is an important first step toward achieving a Code of Conduct and reflects the progress that can be made through dialogue and multilateral diplomacy. We look forward to further progress.
The United States is encouraged by this recent agreement because as a Pacific nation and resident power we have a national interest in freedom of navigation, open access to Asia’s maritime domain, the maintenance of peace and stability, and respect for international law in the South China Sea.
We oppose the threat or use of force by any claimant in the South China Sea to advance its claims or interfere with legitimate economic activity. We share these interests not only with ASEAN members and ASEAN Regional Forum participants, but with other maritime nations and the broader international community.
The United States supports a collaborative diplomatic process by all claimants for resolving the various disputes in the South China Sea. We also support the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. But we do not take a position on the competing territorial claims over land features in the South China Sea. We believe all parties should pursue their territorial claims and accompanying rights to maritime space in accordance with international law, including as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention.
The United States is concerned that recent incidents in the South China Sea threaten the peace and stability on which the remarkable progress of the Asia-Pacific region has been built. These incidents endanger the safety of life at sea, escalate tensions, undermine freedom of navigation, and pose risks to lawful unimpeded commerce and economic development.
In keeping with the 2002 ASEAN-China Declaration, each of the parties should comply with their commitments to respect freedom of navigation and over-flight in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, to resolve their disputes through peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force. They should exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability including, among others, refraining from taking action to inhabit presently uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, cays, and other features, and to handle their differences in a constructive manner.
The United States encourages all parties to accelerate efforts to reach a full Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
We also call on all parties to clarify their claims in the South China Sea in terms consistent with customary international law, including as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention. Consistent with international law, claims to maritime space in the South China Sea should be derived solely from legitimate claims to land features

Bolded emphasis is mine.  We never signed onto L.O.S.T. and therefore have no seat at the table. Hillary had also warned about that. See the right sidebar.

At Caijing Conference, Hillary Clinton Warns on NK

bloomberg.com

 

Hillary Clinton Hits Trump, Xi in Remarks at Beijing Event

Bloomberg News

4-5 minutes

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November 27, 2017, 8:56 PM EST Updated on November 27, 2017, 10:40 PM EST

• Says Trump has retreated from diplomacy, warns on Xi’s power
• China could also fall victim to spread of fake news: Clinton

Hillary Clinton hit out at both U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in remarks via video to a conference in Beijing.
Clinton, a former secretary of state, said the Trump administration had retreated from diplomacy. She called on both the U.S. and China to avoid “bluster” or “personal taunts” in dealing with North Korea, and said the six-party talks on denuclearization should resume.
“Beijing should remember that inaction is a choice as well,” Clinton said on Tuesday, referring to China’s approach toward North Korea.
Read more >>>>

#WatchThis Space: Arctic Activity

The United States has four coasts subject to the perils presented by climate change: the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Arctic. As a nation with land above the Arctic Circle, we belong to the Arctic Council.

When she was secretary of state, Hillary Clinton participated regularly in Arctic Council summits hosted by a variety of the eight member nations. This was one. I have bolded the list of member states.

Hillary Clinton and Delegation Wheels Up from Greenland

May 12, 2011

Lisa Murkowski  was nice enough to post this picture on her Facebook page along with this comment about an hour ago.

Lisa Murkowski

Heading home from the Arctic Council in Nuuk, Greenland. But wanted to share a picture: with the Ministers of the eight Arctic nations in attendance, as well as Secretary Clinton and Secretary Salazar.

Here is a fact sheet released by the State Department about the Arctic Council meeting results.

Secretary Clinton Signs the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement with Other Arctic Nations

Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesman

Washington, DC

May 12, 2011

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On May 12, 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton joined representatives of the other seven Member States of the Arctic Council (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, and Sweden) in signing an Agreement on Cooperation on Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) in the Arctic (Agreement). The Agreement is the first legally-binding instrument negotiated under the auspices of the Arctic Council. It coordinates life-saving international maritime and aeronautical SAR coverage and response among the Arctic States across an area of about 13 million square miles in the Arctic.
As Arctic sea ice coverage decreases, ship-borne activities are increasing significantly in the Arctic. Flight traffic is also on the rise as new polar aviation routes cross the Arctic air space in several directions. As human presence and activities in the Arctic expand, the potential for accidents increases as well. Limited rescue resources, challenging weather conditions, and the remoteness of the area render SAR operations difficult in the Arctic, making coordination among the Arctic nations imperative. The SAR Agreement will improve search and rescue response in the Arctic by committing all Parties to coordinate appropriate assistance to those in distress and to cooperate with each other in undertaking SAR operations. For each Party, the Agreement defines an area of the Arctic in which it will have lead responsibility in organizing responses to SAR incidents, both large and small. Parties to the Agreement commit to provide SAR assistance regardless of the nationality or status of persons who may need it.
Read more >>>>

(See more like this here>>>>)

It is immediately apparent why there is a need for this council. Russia is a player.
After Hillary left the State Department, she launched a series of  speaking engagements. One of these was in Canada.

Hillary Clinton to Canadians: Watch Putin in the Arctic as well as in Europe

March 19, 2014

Speaking to the Montreal Board of Trade last night, Hillary Clinton warned the audience of increased Russian activity in the Arctic and hung responsibility for another Cold War on Vladimir Putin’s doorknob.
As Secretary of State,  Hillary was an active participant in the Arctic Council and repeatedly echoed the message that we are an Arctic nation.  The concerns she voiced in Canada are as much an issue for the U.S. as they are for Canada.
Along with the disquiet she expressed regarding Russia’s activities in the north came further comments about recent activities in Europe.
Read more >>>>

In light of the above, this is of some concern or should be to all the member nations including ours.

Putin's Russia in biggest Arctic military push since Soviet fall

Russian servicemen of the Northern Fleet's Arctic mechanised infantry brigade participate in a military drill on riding reindeer and dog sleds near the settlement of Lovozero outside Murmansk, Russia January 23, 2017. Picture taken January 23, 2017. Lev Fedoseyev/Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation/Handout via REUTERS

By Andrew Osborn | MURMANSK, Russia

The nuclear icebreaker Lenin, the pride and joy of the Soviet Union's Arctic great game, lies at perpetual anchor in the frigid water here. A relic of the Cold War, it is now a museum.
But nearly three decades after the Lenin was taken out of service to be turned into a visitor attraction, Russia is again on the march in the Arctic and building new nuclear icebreakers.
It is part of a push to firm Moscow's hand in the High North as it vies for dominance with traditional rivals Canada, the United States, and Norway as well as newcomer China.
SNIP
Grigory Stratiy, deputy governor of the Murmansk Region, told Reuters there was strong interest in sea route from Asian nations however and that new icebreakers would allow for year-round navigation in the 2020s.
"Whatever the weather, the Northern Sea Route will be needed. Its use will definitely grow," said Stratiy, who said Russia was keen to attract foreign investment to the Arctic.
When asked about his country's military build-up, he smiled.
"There's no reason to be afraid I can reassure you," he said, saying it was driven only by a need to modernize.
"Russia has never had any aggressive aims and won't have them. We are very friendly people."
Read more >>>>

Anyone thinking that Putin is playing nice friendly reindeer games up there is, of course, deluded despite the "peaceful and cooperative nature of the Arctic Region" as stated on the State Department page.  We should never trust Putin, as Hillary warned, especially when his military is involved. So this military build up is one thing to watch.

It's nice to have ice breakers available when you need them, and the Russians were very helpful the time the whales were trapped under the ice as portrayed in that Drew Barrymore movie. Those missile installations, though. No wonder we sent troops to Norway.

The North Sea Route concept, characterized in the article as a mini Suez Canal, is an obvious business venture, but of course the real target is oil. Drilling in the Arctic is an enterprise popular with Republicans.

Lastly, how the hell did "newcomer China" get into this competition? It has no land above the Arctic Circle. Or does it?  Is it building synthetic islands up there, too?

The new administration has a dangerously narrow view of China's adversarial scope. It goes beyond trans-Pacific trade and artificial islands to expand its continental limit in the South China Sea and East China Sea. China has invested in significant "development" enterprises in Africa centered largely on resource extraction with tandem infrastructure upgrades benefiting their ability to move products for shipment and not benefiting local residents or their farms or businesses in any way. I don't think I have ever heard Donald Trump say the word "Africa."  At the very least, China's presence in the Arctic deserves a question.

As for Russia, and its military push, we always to well to heed the warnings of Hillary Clinton.

Tweets from Hillary Clinton: Detention of Women Activists in China

 

 

 

Hillary ClintonVerified account ‏@HillaryClinton

The detention of women's activists in #China must end. This is inexcusable. #FreeBeijing20Five Read this story: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/world/asia/chinese-womens-rights-activists-fall-afoul-of-officials.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0 …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ Retrospective Part Two: Across the Pacific Chapter 5 The Dissident

The most crucial thing on Hillary's agenda for May 2, 2012 was not reflected on her public schedule as released by the State Department. Nor was her first stop at the Wanhousi Temple.

SECRETARY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON: Public Schedule for May 2, 2012

May 2, 2012 by still4hill |

A self-taught lawyer, activist, and hero of the people had, with her approval and instructions, been provided refuge at our Embassy Beijing, and blind and injured, stood to disrupt all negotiations at that year's U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

Having made his way to the embassy despite his disability and the physical injuries incurred on his journey to Beijing, Chen Guangcheng had captured media attention and a great deal of American sympathy and Chinese faith.  While Hillary believed and acted strongly from her heart that we needed to move on his behalf, his figure, in a few venues - our embassy and a Chinese hospital -  threatened to hang between two great nations that were still performing a middle school fox trot.

In this chapter, Hillary recounts how she first hears of Chen's plight prior to leaving for the very important U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, and made an executive decision to accept him at the embassy (and rescue him in order to do so).

There were a several bumps in that road.  Hillary managed to pave them.

Was there ever any doubt?

Hillary Clinton’s Statement on Chen Guangcheng

May 2, 2012 by still4hill |

She made no reference, as she states, to Chen.

Secretary Clinton at Opening of U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue **Video Added**

May 3, 2012 by still4hill |

Hillary Clinton at EcoPartnerships Ceremony

May 3, 2012 by still4hill |

Chen Guangcheng: State Department Update

May 4, 2012 by still4hill |

Video: Hillary Clinton – Timothy Geithner Press Conference in Beijing

May 4, 2012 by still4hill |

Video: Secretary Clinton on U.S.-China Relations in the 21st Century

May 4, 2012 by still4hill |

Hillary ends this chapter with some comments that, on first reading, appear meant to explain China and its way of thinking to the American reader.  When I read it again, I thought it just as likely that she also embedded a message there for the Chinese by expressing that rather than wishing to contain China (the Chinese fear) the U.S. seeks cooperation with China for the common good.

As we know, Hard Choices has been effectively banned in China, but we hope that embedded message manages to get through the Great Firewall.

Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ Effectively Banned in China

June 27, 2014 by still4hill |

In the Wake of the Chinese Ban Simon & Schuster Share a Hillary Clinton Excerpt on China

June 27, 2014 by still4hill |

Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ Retrospective Part Two: Across the Pacific Chapter 4 China: Uncharted Waters

Hillary introduces this chapter with a good deal of background from her previous visits to China and the influence they had on her first visit there as secretary of state.  She speaks of reunions with old friends that were not public and therefore not covered by press or the State Department.

It is clear that this maiden voyage in her new capacity was freighted, and she explains both her priorities and the degree to which some (political, environmental, and commercial issues) were given publicity and others (human rights issues) were not but emphasizes that human rights did not take a back seat.

She mentions discussing religious freedom and the related issues of Tibet and Taiwan in meetings with high officials but does not remind us that she took the trouble to attend church services.  We at the now-defunct Hillary's Village Forum knew and shared that information, but I never blogged it here.

She also participated in an online chat and a TV interview on this visit, although she does not specifically mention them.  Part of her outreach to civil society to be sure.

Hillary Clinton’s Online Chat in China

February 22, 2009 by still4hill

Hillary Clinton’s Dragon TV Interview in China

February 22, 2009 by still4hill |

The highest profile meeting detailed by the State Department at the time was her bilateral with then Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Hillary Clinton with Chinese FM Yang Jiechi

February 21, 2009 by still4hill |

It was during this meeting that she became aware of the upcoming Shanghai Expo about which it appeared no one in the U.S. was doing anything.  So Hillary shouldered the responsibility to get a U.S. pavilion up and running in time for the opening in May 2010.

Video: Secretary Clinton Meeting With Student Ambassadors At The Shanghai Expo

May 27, 2010 by still4hill |

Secretary Clinton’s Remarks At USA Pavilion Gala Dinner

May 22, 2010 by still4hill |

Secretary Clinton Meets and Greets USA Pavilion Student Ambassadors and Employees

May 22, 2010 by still4hill |

Photos: Hillary Clinton at the Shanghai Expo

May 22, 2010 by still4hill |

The most important item on her agenda with China was formulating a way to navigate through the 'uncharted waters' of the U.S.-China relationship.   She and other cabinet officials, specifically Timothy Geithner  being a high-profile proponent, were determined to initiate a U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue realized in May 2010.

Secretary Clinton’s Address at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue Opening Session

May 24, 2010 by still4hill |

Secretary Clinton’s Remarks at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue Opening Session

May 24, 2010 by still4hill

Among all of the issues involving Asia, the most enormous elephant in the room swinging its massive trunk on the sidelines of every official meeting was the issue of 'dominion,' if it can be called that, over the waters of the South and East China Seas.   These waters are vital to shipping routes, but also flow over precious mineral resources such as semi-conductors that are indispensable in the hardware that organizes our online lives now from communications through paperless bill-paying.  The Chinese made it clear that their claims to these waters were non-negotiable.  Hillary thought that if enough of China's smaller neighbors were to coalesce around the issue of access the giant might blink.

She cites the July 2010 ASEAN Ministerial Meetings in Hanoi as the tipping point at which a coalition of south Asian countries became strong  enough to press giant China on these seafaring issues.*  Her instincts and predictions on this were spot-on.

Secretary Clinton’s Remarks at the ASEAN-U.S. Ministerial Meeting

July 22, 2010 by still4hill |

Slideshow: Hillary Clinton ASEAN Hanoi Day Two

July 23, 2010 by still4hill |

She closes out this Asia chapter with her return from the Hanoi ASEAN with only a week left to finalize preparations for Chelsea's wedding.

MOTB Hillary Clinton in New York

July 28, 2010 by still4hill |

Slideshow: Hillary and Bill @ Beekman Arms

July 31, 2010 by still4hill |

Here Comes the Bride!

July 31, 2010 by still4hill |

 

And so ends chapter 4 with a lot of hope for the future.

Hillary Clinton’s ‘Hard Choices’ Retrospective: Introduction

______________________________________________________________

Endnote

*I still contend that if the Senate, at any point, had ratified the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST - see the sidebar on the right) her job from here through her last Asia trip in 2012 would not have been so demanding.  The island-hopping and bilaterals and trilaterals that took place in summer of 2012 might not have been so intense and crucial.  You might remember her being given access that was not easy to come by to watch WJC address the Democratic National Convention in Septembr of that year.  All of that traveling among those islands was over maritime rights in the South and East China Seas.  A LOST ratification might have obviated much of that shuttle diplomacy.  But that's just me.  Just sayin'. 

How the Tea Party Harpooned Hillary Clinton’s Asia Mission

September 5, 2012 by still4hill |

In the Wake of the Chinese Ban Simon & Schuster Share a Hillary Clinton Excerpt on China

No sooner had I posted about China's effective ban on Hillary Clinton's Hard Choices than an email came in from the publisher with a newly available excerpt: a chapter about China.

Here is the email.  When you click on the link you must sign in either with your email account or through Facebook or Twitter.  You must do this even if you have signed up for excerpts before, and the text will appear.

I hope all the readers in China who know how to avoid the firewall manage to see this.

Hillary Clinton's book, Hard Choices, has been banned in China. So you can see what Chinese citizens can't, we have posted a second excerpt from a chapter in Hard Choices entitled, "Beijing: The Dissident." To start reading, click here.

Finally, don't forget to tune in to Facebook Live on Monday at 4 pm ET to watch the live stream of Hillary Clinton from the Aspen Ideas Festival. RSVP here.

Simon & Schuster

http://hcb.nationbuilder.com/

Hillary Clinton's 'Hard Choices' Effectively Banned in China

Some folks have asked me how and when they can obtain copies of Hillary's book in various translations and in different countries.  The best advice I can give is that you  contact the publisher, Simon & Schuster, directly for a response to that question.  One thing, however, is certain.  For now, at least, the book will not be seeing the light of day in China.
My sympathies go out to our Chinese visitors who relentlessly circumvent the Great Firewall to come here and see what Hillary is doing and saying.  We all know you were looking forward to reading this memoir.  Thank you to Ruby Cramer who sent me this for everyone's information.

China Blocks Hillary Clinton’s Book

Distributors and publishers impose an “effective ban” on Hard Choices, which is critical of the Chinese government. “It’s outrageous and unfortunate.” posted on June 26, 2014

Ruby Cramer BuzzFeed Staff

Hillary Clinton, then secretary of state, talks with with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi during a joint Beijing press conference in 2012. Jim Watson / Associated Press

Hillary Clinton’s new book will not be sold in mainland China, despite efforts by her publisher, Simon & Schuster, to sell the memoir there.

Chinese publishers have declined to purchase translation rights to Hard Choices, an account of Clinton’s four years as secretary of state, her publisher told BuzzFeed.

The book will not be sold in English either: One of China’s largest import agencies will not allow distribution of an English-language edition. The day after Clinton’s book hit stores in the U.S., executives at Simon & Schuster were told by Shanghai Book Traders, which supplies foreign books to Amazon China, that the title would not be approved for sale in China. The decision came only after the agency was able to screen the book, the publisher said. As a result, Hard Choices was removed from the country’s Amazon site.

Read more >>>

 

Tweets from Hillary: China Battling the Ivory Trade

Hillary ClintonVerified account ‏@HillaryClinton

Some encouraging news today from China's business leaders on stopping the demand for ivory. http://www.wildaid.org/news/china%E2%80%99s-top-business-leaders-say-no-ivory …

China’s Top Business Leaders Say No to Ivory

February 26, 2014

BEIJING – Business leaders in China took a public stand today against the ivory trade by signing a pledge to never purchase, possess, or give ivory as a gift. WildAid China Chair, Huang Nubo, spearheaded the effort by 36 prominent Chinese to raise awareness of the ivory poaching crisis. The group includes Charles Chao, CEO of Sina Corp., China’s largest Internet portal, Liu Chuanzhi, Chair of Lenovo, and 10 individuals from the Forbes 2013 China Rich List including Jack Ma, founder of the Alibaba Group.

"As China grows up, Chinese companies should do the same and take on more social responsibility,” said Nubo. “This is why we are joining efforts to protect our planet's wildlife. We hope this ethic becomes engrained in us and is passed down to future generations."  

Read more >>>>

At Brookings, Hillary Clinton Discusses Early Childhood Development

Appearing on the podium with Chinese Vice Premier Madame Liu Yandong,  with whom she collaborated as secretary of state on a variety of similar issues, Hillary Clinton addressed an audience at the Brookings Institution today on one of her signature initiatives: Early Childhood Development (#ECD on Twitter).

Special thanks to Tracy Viselli who has been kind enough to share her twitpics from the event.

Event Agenda

• 8:30 - 9:20

  Keynote Address: Madame Liu Yandong and Hillary Rodham Clinton

  • 
    
    Her Excellency Liu Yandong

    Vice Premier
    People’s Republic of China
  • 
    
    The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton

    Former U.S. Secretary of State

Fred Dews | November 21, 2013 9:20am

Hillary Clinton and Liu Yandong on Early Childhood Development in China and the United States

Brookings and the China Development Research Foundation co-hosted a discussion on opportunities and challenges for early childhood development (ECD) programs in both countries. Dual keynote addresses were delivered by Her Excellency Liu Yandong, vice premier of the People's Republic of China, and the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, former U.S. secretary of state.

Madame Liu, speaking in Mandarin with simultaneous translation, said that "China will soon release a national plan for development of children in poor areas," with a goal "to ensure the healthy growth of every child in China." She cited data demonstrating how China has met UN Millennium Development Goals in infant and child mortality rates dropping. While acknowledging the "daunting challenge" of promoting children's development in China, home to nearly 310 million children, Madame Liu said that "investment in early childhood development is a human capital investment with the highest return." Chinese President Xi Jinping, she said, "attaches great importance to early childhood development," sharing a vision with that expressed by President Barack Obama.

Sec. Clinton echoed many of the points Madame Liu made about the importance of early childhood education, citing research, and stressing the opportunities for U.S.-China collaboration and communication on this issue. "Investing in early childhood development," Clinton said, "is one of the best returns on investments that a country can make to accelerate long-term economic growth and productivity." Citing research that shows that children born into higher-income families hear 30 million more words in their formative years than do children born into lower-income families (and described by Richard Reeves in his "Parenting Gap" paper), Sec. Clinton said that "We want to see our young people working together, understanding each other, communicating … to have the background and confidence to work through those disagreements peacefully … much of that depends upon education and the start in life that children in both of our countries have."
Read more >>>>

Brookings tweeted this picture.  It's lovely, and clearly a color memo went out for today!


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Hillary Clinton Joins the War Against Ivory Poachers

Many will remember Chelsea Clinton's adorable reports last August from the Kenyan preserve for orphaned elephants run by naturalist Daphne Sheldrick.  Some may even remember Sheldrick's difficult and heartbreaking struggle decades ago to develop the correct formula for baby elephants that would allow them to survive and thrive.  It was gratifying to see  that not only has she found the formula but has managed, over the years,  to save many infant elephants rescued from the wild after their mothers were murdered by poachers.  Chelsea's reports aired both on the Nightly News with Brian Williams and on the late, lamented Rock Center which many miss.

Elephant population dwindles as demand for ivory grows; how to foster a baby elephant

From the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust:
Established 35 years ago by Dame Daphne Sheldrick in memory of her late husband David Sheldrick, the founder warden of Kenya’s giant Tsavo National Park, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) is dedicated to the protection and conservation of wildlife and habitats in Kenya.  The charity is best known for its pioneering work with orphaned elephants. Daphne Sheldrick has been living alongside elephants for 50 years and she was the first person to successfully hand-rear a milk-dependent newborn elephant.

Today the charity has successfully returned 91 elephant orphans to the wild, with another 53 currently reliant on their care. There are 22 baby elephants ages 2 years and under at the DSWT Nursery in Nairobi and another 31 adolescents, graduates of the Nursery, at their two reintegration centres in Tsavo East National Park.

Increasingly the animals the DSWT is called to rescue are ivory orphans; their mothers murdered before their eyes for their tusks; while climate change, drought, a burgeoning human population and livestock place further pressure on land and elephant populations. Already in 2012, the DSWT has been called to 17 baby elephant rescues.

Read more and see many adorable videos and pictures here >>>>

On Monday,  WaPo reports, Chelsea's formidable mom, as a private citizen, enlisted in the battle against elephant poaching.

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s new cause: combating elephant poaching

By Juliet Eilperin

Hillary Rodham Clinton will join with environmentalists to press for an end to elephant poaching (Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

Hillary Rodham Clinton has agreed to take up the public fight of saving African elephants, who are being slaughtered in large numbers to supply the growing demand for ivory in China and other Asian countries.

Clinton, who met privately with representatives from a dozen environmental groups and National Geographic at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo on Monday, pledged to use her political connections as America’s former secretary of state to enlist other world leaders in the effort to curtail the illegal ivory trade.

Read more >>>>

Hillary Clinton on Edward Snowden and the Challenges of Diplomacy

Speaking to a crowd of 4,000 last night at Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, CA, Hillary Clinton called Edward Snowden's absconding with four laptops containing sensitive information outrageous and China's decision to allow him to flee detrimental to our complex relationship with that government.

Delivering a lecture sponsored by the Whizin Center for Continuing Education,  American Jewish University, she noted that diplomacy would be easy if the only parties we spoke to were our friends.  She cited the challenges of building relationships with rivals as an area where women leaders can make a special contribution and that the key is in recognizing and celebrating our common humanity.

Asked about her decision to run for president, she responded that she is happy to have made that contribution.  As secretary of state she was estranged from domestic issues  for four years  but often used her experience in politics to prod foreign leaders to trust increased democracy.   She  noted that the U.S. needs to exemplify how problems can be solved  in bipartisan ways.

The audience waited more than 45 minutes beyond the scheduled starting time, but according to the tweets that emanated from the auditorium patience prevailed.   Hillary Clinton is always worth the wait.  Here are a few twitpics. 

Sidelines at UNGA: Hillary Clinton's Meeting with Yang Jiechi

This morning Mme. Secretary met with her Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.  A senior State Department official provided a briefing.  This is the only still picture available from today so far.

Background Briefing: Readout of the Secretary's Meeting With Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi

Special Briefing

Office of the Spokesperson

Waldorf Astoria Hotel

New York City

September 27, 2012

---

SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: So briefly, on background, Senior State, the Secretary had a very full meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang this morning. They began the meeting talking about the Chinese-Japanese tensions over the Senkakus. The Secretary, as she has been urging for a number of months, including when she was in China in the summer and when she was at APEC and had a chance to see Prime Minister Noda, again urged that cooler heads prevail, that Japan and China engage in dialogue to calm the waters, that we believe that Japan and China have the resources, have the restraint, have the ability to work on this directly and take tensions down. And that is our message to both sides.
They then talked about South China Sea issues. As you may know, this is an area where, after intense diplomatic focus by all the players, including, notably, the Foreign Minister of Indonesia who was in Washington not too long ago, we now have restarted informal meetings between senior officials of China and ASEAN. They had a meeting in Phnom Penh two weeks ago. We expect these meetings are going to continue in the lead-up to the East Asia Summit in November. This is precisely what the Secretary had been advocating, what we had been advocating – that they restart a dialogue. And so the Secretary commended China for that. I think she’ll make the same point when she sees the ASEAN foreign ministers later today.
They compared notes on the situation in the DPRK briefly. They also talked about Iran in preparation for the P-5+1 minus Iran meeting this afternoon, and about the two-track strategy of diplomacy and pressure. The Secretary, as she always does, raised human rights concerns – notably in this particular meeting, concerns about Tibet and increasing pace of immolations. They talked about bilateral economic relations and the global financial situation. The Secretary again urged that the – some of the cases of concerns, including FedEx, be dealt with on the Chinese side.
And of course, they talked about Syria. The Secretary debriefed the Foreign Minister on her meeting with Special Envoy Brahimi, and she made the same point to him, to Foreign Minister Yang, that she has made this week to Foreign Minister Lavrov and that she’s made when she was in Vladivostok to Russian leaders, that we still see value in the Geneva document that the Security Council members agreed on, and working from that, drawing on elements of it. But if we go in that direction in terms of the Security Council, there have to be real consequences for noncompliance with it, consequences for both sides. So that was the meeting with Foreign Minister Yang.

How the Tea Party Harpooned Hillary Clinton's Asia Mission

If you thought the only targets in the Tea Party's sights were Barack Obama's birth certificate and college records, please read on. Their actions two months ago made Hillary Clinton's job on this Asia mission infinitely more frustrating than it needed to be and subjected her to attacks by the Chinese press.

From left, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell, U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke, Secretary of State Clinton

In the pre-departure State Department briefing  on Secretary Clinton's current Asia trip, the Senior State Department official (unidentified during the briefing, but probably Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell who did indeed meet up with her in Beijing) stated the following.

We believe that the full range of issues in U.S.-China relations will be discussed, from developments in Asia, developments on the Korean Peninsula, issues associated with peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region. We will touch on and deal with challenges associated with the South China Sea. We’ll talk about Iran, obviously developments in Syria, Afghanistan – the full range

The Secretary of State, top diplomat, in dealing with conflicts and disputes, relies, yes, upon her considerable personal  skills of negotiation,  but also upon treaties, memoranda of understanding,  and agreements between and among countries.   We watched her long hard slog, almost from the day she encountered Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, through the hard work their teams put in to formulate the New START Treaty, to the day she quietly, and unofficially showed up on Capitol Hill in December 2010 to celebrate the ratification of that treaty for which she had fought so hard.

Similarly, in this final year of her tenure at State, we have seen her lobby for the ratification of the Law of the Sea Treaty (L.O.S.T.).  On May 23 of this year we saw her argue before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that joining the convention was "urgent."   It was not about achieving a victory for Hillary Clinton.  She never cares who gets the credit as long as the work gets done.  It was about leveling the international playing field.

• The convention allows countries to claim sovereignty over their continental shelf far out into the ocean, beyond 200 nautical miles from shore. The relevant area for the United States is probably more than 1.5 times the size of Texas.

• The second development concerns deep seabed mining, which takes place in that part of the ocean floor that is beyond any country’s jurisdiction....   So as long as the United States is outside the convention, our companies are left with two bad choices – either take their deep sea mining business to another country or give up on the idea. Meanwhile, as you heard from Senator Kerry and Senator Lugar, China, Russia, and many other countries are already securing their licenses under the convention to begin mining for valuable metals and rare earth elements.

• The third development that is now urgent is the emerging opportunities in the Arctic. As the area gets warmer, it is opening up to new activities such as fishing, oil and gas exploration, shipping, and tourism. This convention provides the international framework to deal with these new opportunities.

• The fourth development is that the convention’s bodies are now up and running. The body that makes recommendations regarding countries’ continental shelves beyond 200 nautical miles is actively considering submissions from over 40 countries without the participation of a U.S. commissioner.

She argued eloquently that day for us to take our seat at the table where maritime disputes worldwide will be settled diplomatically and scoffed at and refuted predictions that this treaty would put our military on black helicopters wearing blue helmets (the argument we have been hearing from the Tea Party since they first co-opted the Gadsden flag) .  Regardless of her logical arguments and the clear benefits of ratification, L.O.S.T.  was killed on July 17 of this year perhaps never to be revived.  Here is how it was deep-sixed.

Tuesday, Jul 17, 2012 05:22 PM EDT

Tea Party torpedoes Law of Sea Treaty

How the far right managed to kill a naval treaty that nearly everyone else supported

By Alex Seitz-Wald
What if there were a piece of legislation in Congress today that had broad bipartisan support along with the strong backing of the military and the most powerful business interests in the country? That seems almost unheard of in today’s polarized world, so it should sail through Congress, right? Well, 34 senators, led by Tea Party hero Jim DeMint of South Carolina, effectively killed it last night. The Law of the Sea Treaty (which goes by the unfortunate acronym LOST) would codify a host of international navigational, territorial and mineral exploration rules that the country has abided by since the Reagan administration. But a faction of Tea Party senators have secured enough opposition to stop the treaty before it even makes it to the Senate floor.
Read more >>>>

Fast-forward to yesterday and the Chinese press greeting our top diplomat.

Hillary Clinton arrives in China to stinging personal attacks in state media

September 5, 2012
BEIJING
US and China remain at impasse over Syria and tension persists over long-running territorial wrangle in South China Sea
Personal and stinging attacks in the state media heralded the US secretary of state‘s arrival in Beijing. “Many people in China dislike Hillary Clinton,” said an editorial in the state-run Global Times. “She has brought new and extremely profound mutual distrust between the mainstream societies of the two countries.” Such stringent remarks were extremely unusual on the eve of a visit by a US secretary of state, noted Shi Yinhong, an expert on the bilateral relationship.
While Clinton’s press conference with Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi was more civil, it suggested no sign of movement on key issues. The two countries remain at an impasse over Syria and tension persists over the complicated and long-running territorial wrangle in the South China Sea, involving China and numerous other regional powers.
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Hillary Clinton targeted in anti-U.S. Chinese editorials

• By Alexander Abad-Santos

Hillary Clinton met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing Tuesday. Jim Watson/AP

Hillary Clinton arrived in China on Tuesday, in what's likely to be her last trip there as Secretary of State, but that milestone didn't stop China's state-run media outlets from printing scathing editorials about her and the U.S.'s growing unpopularity in the country. "Many Chinese people do not like Hillary Clinton, her personal antipathy to the Chinese public ..." reads (via Google translation) an editorial in China's nationalist newspaper Global Times, entitled "Secretary Clinton: the person who deeply reinforces US-China mutual suspicion." The editorial goes on to read (via a translation from NBC News's Ed Flanagan), "She makes the Chinese public dislike and be wary of the United States, which does not necessarily serve U.S. foreign policy interests." Well, that's pretty blunt. What upsets the Chinese government has been President Obama's newfound focus on the Asia-Pacific region, which means more attention is paid toward China and its territorial disputes in the South China Sea. And Clinton, despite enjoying her highest popularity ratings stateside, has become the bullseye for unhappy Chinese nationalists even if she won't be continuing her role as the country's top diplomat--Clinton has said she was retiring at the end of this year. (We probably shouldn't tell them about the VP rumors.) Xinhua, the country's state-run news service was at least bit more diplomatic about being undiplomatic, with an editorial that read (via a New York Times translation), "The United States should stop its role as a sneaky troublemaker sitting behind some nations in the region and pulling strings."
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Hillary Clinton is accustomed to  attacks.  It is doubtful that any of this bothered her on a personal level, but the fact that the U.S. has no commissioner at the Law of the Sea convention makes it far more difficult for her to negotiate in favor of our friends and partners in maritime disputes with China over territorial rights.  We have no voice in this international body.  So as China expands its borders and sea shelf while disparaging our top diplomat and sneering at her efforts, we have the Tea Party to thank.  They effectively trapped her in a lobster-cage.