Clinton Says Asean Is Key to US Foreign Policy

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday raised the issue of territorial disputes in the South China Sea with Prime Minister Hun Sen and outlined the strong focus the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is currently placing on the Asean region, officials said. Arriving in the country ahead of today’s East Asia Summit in Phnom Penh, Ms. Clinton met with foreign ministers from the Asean region and highlighted the reinvigorated interest from the U.S. in the region, which is part of a broader strategy to “pivot” its foreign policy away from the Middle East and toward the Asia-Pacific. “The United States has an enduring commitment to the Asia-Pacific, and the Obama administration has elevated our engagement in Asia as a strategic priority of our foreign policy and a central pillar of that strategy is to work more closely with Asean and deepen our economic, strategic and people-to-people engagement,” Ms. Clinton told foreign ministers from the Asean region in a meeting yesterday at Mr. Hun Sen’s office. …