By Arun Kumar
Washington, Jan 13 (IANS) Citing ongoing strategic dialogues with India and China, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged a new era of engagement with Asia, deepening historic ties and building new partnerships.

In a policy speech at the US-sponsored East-West Center in Honolulu, she said Tuesday the Asia-Pacific relationship is a priority for the administration of President Barack Obama, who spent some of his formative years in Hawaii and in Indonesia.

“His world view reflects his appreciation of - and respect for - Asia and its people. I am deeply committed to strengthening our ties across the Pacific and throughout Asia,” she said according to a transcript of remarks released by the State Department.

“…For these reasons and more, we began last January to lay the foundation for a revitalised Asia-Pacific relationship,” she said noting the US “supported the creation of a regular G-20 leaders summit with strong Asian participation reflecting the new global balance of financial and political power.”

“And it was no accident that the first state visit hosted by President and Mrs. Obama was for an Asian leader, Indian Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh,” Clinton noted.

“So we are working to deepen our historic ties, build new partnerships, work with existing multilateral organizations to pursue shared interests, and reach beyond governments to engage directly with people in every corner of this vast region.”

Clinton said a core strategic fact is that Asia confronts its “challenges and opportunities with a dynamic mix of influential actors, from rising powers like China and India, to traditional leaders like Japan, South Korea, and Australia, to the increasingly influential states of Southeast Asia, like Indonesia”.

Citing Trilateral Strategic Dialogues with Japan and Australia, with Japan and South Korea, Clinton said, “we welcome further opportunities to engage this way, for example in trilateral dialogues with Japan and China, and with Japan and India”.

“Beyond our treaty alliances, we are committed to strengthening relationships with other key players. We are pursuing a strategic dialogue with India, a strategic and economic dialogue with China, and a comprehensive partnership with Indonesia.”

“US involvement and leadership in Asia-Pacific institutions, ranging from our support for and contributions to APEC to our response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami, can benefit everyone,” she said.

“No country, however - including our own - should seek to dominate these institutions. But an active and engaged United States is critical to the success of these.”