Harris berates China in major speech on Indo-Pacific relations

Harris, who travels through Southeast Asia for a week, said the United States “stands by our allies and partners” in the face of threats from China.

The speech on Tuesday morning at Singapore’s iconic Gardens by the Bay waterfront park gave the former state attorney general and US senator the opportunity to prove her fluency with diplomatic and security matters .

Harris ‘remarks also come at a critical time for the United States as the Biden administration seeks to further solidify its pivot to Asia as the United States’ focus on the Middle East for decades ends with the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Harris’ remarks echoed and extended to remarks she made at the U.S. Naval Academy graduation ceremony in June, where she described a world “interconnected,” “interdependent” and ” brittle “.

On Monday, Harris told Sailors aboard a US combat ship at Changi Naval Base in Singapore that “much of 21st century history will be written about this very region” and that their work in defense of the region was essential.

“It is in our vital interest to remain united with our allies and partners in Southeast Asia to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific,” she said.

Harris also met with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday. The Vice President’s office announced a number of agreements following this meeting aimed at tackling cyber threats, tackling climate change, tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and alleviating the problems of Supply Chain.

After her speech on Tuesday, Harris will hold a panel discussion with business leaders on supply chain issues and then travel to Vietnam, where she will meet with senior officials on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden himself has repeatedly underlined his focus on China as one of the main adversaries of the United States, committing in a February address to the State Department to “confront the economic abuses of the United States. China ; counter its aggressive and coercive action; to repel China’s attack on human rights, intellectual property and global governance ”- a message he repeated later this month to European allies at the virtual summit of the G7 and the Munich Security Conference.

And in recent months, his administration has stepped up outreach activities in the Indo-Pacific region, with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Austin both visiting the region in the spring and summer. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also held a number of virtual meetings with Southeast Asian officials earlier this month.

The chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, however, complicated this message of support to the region, raising questions about the US commitment to its allies. While Biden said last week that an indefinite engagement would have benefited “real strategic competitors” of China and Russia, China has taken to the images of violence from the evacuation to criticize the United States for their commitment there.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday that the United States had done “unscrupulous and dishonest things” in Afghanistan and called on the nation to help with reconstruction.

“The United States is the root cause and the biggest external factor of the Afghan problem,” Wenbin said. “He can’t just run away like that.”

But Harris, at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Lee on Monday, said his presence in the country, combined with the deals around greater cooperation that the Biden administration has pursued with countries in the Indo-Pacific says a lot about the integrity of America’s dealings with the world on many issues. “