(CNN) -- Muslim and moderate.Two words that describe Bangladesh, where Hillary Clinton arrived Saturday as part of a three-nation tour of Asia. She left China where diplomatic drama over a Chinese human rights activist overshadowed all else and stepped foot in Bangladesh amid political turmoil involving the disappearance of a key opposition leader. Her presence, the first by a secretary of state since 2003, reflects America's interest in growing ties with Asian nations and puts Bangladesh, one of the world's most impoverished nations strategically located near India, China and Myanmar, on center stage. Cinton's trip, said a senior State Department official, is an opportunity to improve America's bilateral relationship with Bangladesh, a democratic Muslim-majority nation that is seen by Washington as a viable alternative to extremism.
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Washington sees Bangladesh as a viable alternative to extremism
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The Muslim-majority nation is moderate and democratic
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But it has seen political turmoil after the disappearance of an opposition leader
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Clinton next goes to India
Clinton is visiting Bangladesh 12 years after her husband, @placeholder, did so as the first U.S. president to make such a trip.