The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began an official 10-day visit to the Asia Pacific region on January 11 to strengthen relations with US partners, including Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
This is the first visit to the region by Mrs. Clinton as secretary of state in President Barack Obama’s administration.
The visit shows that the Obama administration is giving priority to maintaining a firm relationship with leading allies such as Japan and Australia, while improving relations with other countries which share the same opinions on some issues, including counter-terrorism, climate change and energy security.
She met with her Japanese counterpart, Katsuya Okada, in Honoluu, Hawaii on January 12.
As planned, Mrs. Clinton will visit Papua New Guinea on January 14 to discuss issues relating to environmental protection and the rights of women. The next day, she will pay an official visit to New Zealand and attend the 25th Australian-United States Ministerial Consultation (AUSMIN).
Secretary of State Clinton will return to the US on January 19./.
Source: VOV News
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