Hilary Clinton says US will not cede Asia-Pacific to anyone

London, May 20 (ANI): Rejecting Australian Defence White Paper's claims that the US supremacy is fading in the Asia-Pacific region, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the US did not see the rise of China as "a zero-sum game" which would inevitably leave America weakened.

Speaking to the foreign press corps in Washington DC overnight, Clinton rejected that the economic rise of China and other nations in the region would inevitably mean that US power would decline after 2030 - and that Australia needs to prepare for that world.

"We don't think it's a zero-sum game. The fact that a country like China is becoming more successful, or Indonesia is now a very successful democracy, we see that as to the good for the entire Pacific region," The Age quoted Clinton, as saying.

Several nations have expressed concern that the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, problems with Iran and engagement in the Middle East may sap US resources and attention, leaving the Asia-Pacific region as a fertile ground for China to extend its influence through diplomacy, economic leverage and aid.

But Clinton points out that her first official visit as Secretary of State had been to Asia.

"We want Australia, as well as other nations to know that the United States is not ceding the Pacific to anyone. We are a trans-Pacific power as well as a transatlantic power," she said.

The US has indicated that it will sign the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation which is a necessary precursor to it joining the East Asia Summit.

"We have longstanding bilateral relationships with nations like Australia and others, and we have a very active multilateral agenda that we intend to reinvigorate, such as our membership in ASEAN and other fora within the Pacific region."

Clinton also said, under the Obama administration, there had been "extremely successful" visits by Rudd and other senior ministers had led to "a broadening and a deepening of the relationship" and that both nations were looking at ways of enhancing cooperation when it comes to regional security. (ANI)