AlHijjah 15, 1432, Nov 11, 2011, SPA - The United States wants to build a "trans-Pacific system" for the Asia-Pacific, modeled on the trans-Atlantic relationship forged between the US and Europe, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday. "The 21st century will be America's Pacific century," Hillary Clinton said in a speech at the East-West Centre in Honolulu, on the sidelines of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings. Washington would use "forward-deployed diplomacy" in the Asia-Pacific to strengthen regional integration, promote trade and investment, and build bilateral and multilateral alliances, she said. Clinton said Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand would continue their role as the five key US allies in the region. She said US officials would look to increase engagement with India and Indonesia, "two of the most dynamic, significant democracies." The US would also seek better ties with Vietnam, Myanmar and China while encouraging them to continue political and economic reforms, Hillary Clinton was quoted as saying by the German Press Agency "DPA".
