Powell begins East Asia trip

The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, is beginning his first trip to East Asia since taking office.

During the five-nation tour, Mr Powell will hold talks in Beijing with senior Chinese politicians - the first high-level meeting between the two countries since the emergency landing of a US spy plane in April, caused a crisis in relations.

Other key regional issues that Mr Powell will have to tackle include the future of North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, and growing anger in Japan over the presence of US military bases.

The BBC State Department correspondent says that for Mr Powell, on a personal level, the most evocative part of his tour may be his visit to Vietnam.

It will be his first return to the country since serving there in the war 32 years ago.

Mr Powell's visit will also take him to Japan, South Korea and Australia.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service