US vital in pan-Asian institutions

Hong Kong - The United States must be a part of pan-Asian institutions to safeguard the region's future, former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said during a lecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Friday.

Addressing an over-capacity crowd, Rice said that the US, as a Pacific-rim nation, is therefore an Asian power, adding it is an anchor for stability, prosperity and democracy in the region.

"Asia has several institutions but no one institution is capable of doing all that must be done for peace and prosperity in the region," she said.