U.S.(Washington Insider Magazine) – Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a foreign policy speech in Singapore on Aug. 24, criticizing China and detailing U.S. priorities in the region as a part of her seven-day tour of Southeast Asia,
Harris described U.S. commitment to Singapore and other Indo-Pacific relationships, and U.S. goals of advancing an “optimistic vision that we have for our participation and partnership in the region.” She accused China of coercion and intimidation in the South China Sea, while reassuring countries in the region that they would not be forced to choose between China and the U.S. in their foreign policy.
“Beijing’s actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations,” she said. “The United States stands with our allies and partners in the face of these threats.”
China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, a vital international trade route. These claims were dismissed in 2016 by the tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration. China has ignored the ruling and increased its presence in the sea through patrolling the waters and building artificial islands.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, rebuked the U.S. Vice President by criticizing American foreign policing in the ongoing military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“What is happening in Afghanistan clearly reveals the U.S. definition of ‘rules’ and ‘order,’” said Wenbin in a press conference on Aug. 24, when asked about Harris’s comments.
“The U.S. can arbitrarily launch military intervention in a country without shouldering the responsibility for the suffering of the people in the relevant country; it gets to decide when it wants to come and leave without consulting the international community, not even its allies; it can wantonly smear, suppress, coerce and bully other countries for the sake of ‘America First’ without paying any price,” he added.
Symone Sanders, a spokesperson for the vice president, described Harris’s comments on China as “one piece of the broader agenda” in remarks to Bloomberg Television.
“Frankly, if that’s what we’re focusing on it doesn’t speak to the real vision that the vice president laid out today,” Sanders said.
During her tour Harris is tasked with reassuring countries of U.S. commitment against the backdrop of an internationally criticized withdrawal from Afghanistan. She opened her speech with the assurance that the U.S. is “laser focused” on evacuating its allies and citizens from Afghanistan. Emphasizing U.S. commitment to involvement in the area, she offered for the U.S. to host the 2023 summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
On Aug, 23 Harris held a joint press conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. In the conference, Lee underscored new areas of partnership between the U.S. and Singapore, specifically regarding cybersecurity and climate, and the importance of economic and security cooperation between the countries. He also commented on Afghanistan and offered Singapore’s air force in support in the evacuation.
“We are watching what is happening in Afghanistan on the TV Screens today, but what will influence perceptions of U.S. resolve and commitment to the region will be what the U.S. does going forward — how it repositions itself in the region, how it engages its broad range of friends and partners in the region, and how it continues the fight against terrorism,” said Lee.
The next stop for Harris is Vietnam before she concludes her tour on Aug. 26.
