US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has signed a friendship pact with the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Speaking on the Thai resort island of Phuket, Mrs Clinton emphasised that the US is eager to restore full relations with Southeast Asia. She also signalled that President Barack Obama's administration is determined to counter China's growing influence in the region. Today she attended a security summit of the ASEAN Regional Forum, which was largely dominated by North Korea's controversial nuclear programme.

Photo from ANP