Significant developments in Asia and the Pacific went underreported in 2000. The Bush Administration faces a number of key decisions and potential crises in its first year in office. Asia's three billion people — half of the world's population — and growing economies will place the continent at the forefront of American concerns.

In South Korea, President Kim Dae Jung's sunshine policy bore fruit in June 2000 with the first-ever summit between the capitalist South and isolated, communist North. Under its enigmatic leader Kim Jong Il, North Korea has begun to open itself to the world.

China continued its remarkable economic growth in 2000, and is generally stable, though social tensions are on the increase.

The most troubled country in the region is Indonesia. The armed forces have reasserted their dominance on the political scene, to the detriment of human rights and the rule of law. The army has threatened extreme measures to maintain "national integrity," which ironically has driven more provinces towards separation.

Key Asia policy issues to watch in Congress include:

• U.S. military ties with Indonesia
• Burma sanctions
• Relations with Cambodia and Laos

Quarterly Bulletins

• Indonesia's New Leader: Can Megawati Guide the Country Through Its Serious Economic and Civil Challenges?
  (3rd quarter, 2001)
• Conflict Ahead: The Chinese and National Missile Defense
  (2nd quarter, 2001)
• Indonesia's Struggle to Survive
  (1st quarter, 2001)
• Changes on the Korean Peninsula
  (4th quarter, 2000)
• Toxic Contamination of Former U.S. Military Bases in the Philippines
  (3rd quarter, 2000)
• Curbing Trafficking in Asia
  (2nd quarter, 2000)
• The Conflict in Sri Lanka
  (1st quarter, 2000)

Actions

• Major Shift in U.S. Policy on Anti-Personel Landmines
  (Action Alert - November 30, 2001)
• Ask Congress to Support the New Bill to Eliminate Landmines
  (Action Alert - March 28, 2001)
• Emergency Alert on East Timor
  (Action Alert - August 18, 1999)
• U.S. Should Change Policy on East Timor
  (Action Alert - July 16, 1998)

Letters to Legislators

• Statement on WTO Hong Kong Ministerial
  (Sign-on letter - December 1, 2005)
• Support International Tribunal for East Timor
  (Sign-on letter - May 2003)
• Regarding the Global Landmine Crisis
  (Sign-on letter - June 27, 2001)
• Concrete Steps Towards Peace in Korea
  (Sign-on letter - March 26, 2001)