Aug. 24 (UPI) — Vice President Kamala Harris in Singapore on Tuesday reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to its allies in Southeast Asia in the face of China’s aggression in the region.
Harris, in the Southeast Asian nation during the first stop of her two-nation trip, laid out the United States’ vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific in a speech at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay waterfront park, stating the region is critical not only to the United States’ security but also to its prosperity.
The United States, she said, will continue to work with its Southeast Asian partners and multilateral organizations to uphold that vision and to deepen its relations with ally countries while strengthening those partnerships.
“In this region we have long put forward a vision of peace and stability: Freedom on the seas, unimpeded commerce, advancing human rights, a commitment to the international rules-based order and a recognition that our common interests are not zero-sum,” she said. “Now, as we face threats to that order I am here to reaffirm our commitment to that vision, to strengthen it and to make sure it addresses the challenges of today and of tomorrow.”
Among its commitments to the region include security, she said, and the U.S. vision for it includes freedom of navigation that sees billions of dollars in goods each day flow through the South China Sea, which China has laid sweeping claims to despite them being rejected as unlawful by a 2016 arbitral tribunal.
Beijing’s claims have sparked disputes with neighboring countries, in particular the Philippines and Vietnam, and the Untied States has accused China of building artificial islands in the sea since 2013 to use as military outposts to undermine its neighbors’ sovereignty.
Harris said Beijing continues “to coerce, to intimidate and make claims to the vast majority of the East China Sea.”
She said its actions “undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations.”
“The United States stands with our allies and partners in the face of these threats,” she said.
Harris was also quick to state that the U.S. vision for the region is not targeting any one nation or fashioned to force countries to choose between the United States and China as Singapore has decided to stay neutral in the conflict between the two countries.
“Instead our engagement is about advancing an optimistic vision that we have for our participation and partnership in this region,” she said.
Harris, who arrived in Singapore Sunday, is to leave for Vietnam later Tuesday, and comes after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III visited the region in July as the Biden administration continues to pivot its foreign policy focus to Southeast Asia.
“President [Joe] Biden and Vice President Harris have made it a top priority to rebuild our global partnerships and keep our nation secure, and this upcoming visit continues that work — deepening our engagement in Southeast Asia,” the White House said in a statement late last month in announcing Harris’ trip.
When Harris arrives in Vietnam later in the day she will be the first U.S. vice president to ever visit the country.