Clinton urges India to take leadership role in Asia

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said today that India should take the lead in Asia and urged the Indian government to do more to integrate economically with neighbours Afghanistan and Pakistan even as it took a more assertive role across the Asia-Pacific.

Delivering a speech in Chennai, Clinton said New Delhi needed to exercise political influence to match its fast-growing economic muscle.

"This is not a time when any of us can afford to look inward at the expense of looking outward. This is a time to seize the opportunities of the 21st century and it is a time to lead," Clinton said.

According to US officials, Clinton's speech was a major address to outline Washington's vision for the US-India partnership in the coming century.

President Barack Obama, on a visit to India last November, publicly backed New Delhi's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and according to US officials US was looking to the world's largest democracy to become a more visible partner in facing global challenges.

Clinton said India and US were working together on a range of areas from clean energy technologies to addressing concerns over Iran's nuclear programme.