U.S. Looking to Boost Influence in Asia

Days before China and the United States were scheduled to hold their first Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton turned up in Phuket, Thailand for the annual ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), something that her predecessor, Condoleeza Rice, used to skip.

“The United States is back in Southeast Asia,” she declared at a press conference. “President Obama and I believe that this region is vital to global progress, peace and prosperity.”