US 'not ceding the Pacific to anyone,' Clinton says

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday hailed the success of China and other rising Asian powers but insisted the United States was "not ceding the Pacific to anyone." "We don't think it's a zero-sum game," Clinton told an Australian journalist in Washington who asked if Canberra would have to deal more with China as the relative power of the United States declines. "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," she told a press conference with foreign journalists. "But we also are sending a clear message that the United States will be engaged. We are a trans-Pacific power as well as a trans-Atlantic power," the chief US diplomat said. The United States intends to deepen cooperation with Australia, including on regional security issues, she added. "But we want Australia, as well as other nations, to know that the United States is not ceding the Pacific to anyone," Clinton said. "We have long-standing bilateral relationships with nations like Australia and others, and we have a very active multilateral agenda that we intend to reinvigorate," she said. She cited the Association of South East Asian Nations and other groups. "The assessment that is made about the future of Asia should include a very active partnership between Australia and the United States, on behalf of security and stability and economic growth and prosperity."