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The United States is ready to enhance economic cooperation with the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. The U.S. trade with Asia-Pacific economies has increased nearly 45 percent from 2009 to 2011, Clinton told the CEO summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. "We can go further," she said, adding that as "most of the future history will be written in Asia," the United States is willing to be a constructive partner of the Asia-Pacific economies. She also called on the economies in the region to further expand cooperation in fighting against protectionism. On the long-disputed Jackson-Vanik amendment, approved by the U.S. Congress at the height of the Cold War in 1974, Clinton said she hoped that the U.S. Congress could repeal the amendment in September. The amendment denies "most favored nation" status to those countries that restricted emigration, and targeted specifically the former Soviet Union. Russia has long urged the U.S. side to cancel the bill. Highlighting Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a big progress, Clinton said the WTO membership of Russia, host of the APEC 2012 gathering, would benefit not only the country itself, but also the United States and the world at large. Clinton also urged the regional economies to offer more jobs to women. APEC, a premier economic forum in the Asia-Pacific region, was established in 1989. It has grown to encompass 21 members spanning four continents, and accounts for about 40 percent of the world's population, 57 percent of the global GDP and 48 percent of the world trade. The APEC CEO summit, an annual forum for representatives of the Asia-Pacific business leaders, is part of a series of meetings organized for leaders and senior officials from all APEC economies.

US to strengthen cooperation with Asia-Pacific economies: Hillary Clinton