Hillary Clinton on Monday begins her first trip abroad as secretary of state, on an Asian tour intended to put her stamp on US diplomacy and address such issues as the international financial crisis, climate change and North Korea’s nuclear programme.

In a week spent travelling to Tokyo, Jakarta, Seoul and Beijing, Mrs Clinton will take tea with the empress of Japan, visit US-sponsored environmental projects in Indonesia and drop by the world’s largest women’s university, in South Korea. In China, she is scheduled to attend a church and meet civic leaders.