Rejecting China's Claim, US Vice President Kamala Harris Emphasizes Free Passage In The South China Sea

US Vice President Kamala Harris. (Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore)

JAKARTA - United States Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to visit Singapore and Vietnam this August. The White House said there were several things that Vice President Harris was focusing on.

During the visit, scheduled for Aug. 22-26, Vice President Harris is said to be focused on defending international rules in the South China Sea, strengthening US regional leadership and expanding security cooperation during his trip to Vietnam and Singapore, a senior White House official said.

Vice President Kamala Harris will be the country's first vice president to visit Vietnam, as Washington seeks to increase international support to counter China's growing global influence.

US officials say Washington sees the two countries as important partners given their geographic, economic, trade and security partnerships, such as the South China Sea issue, over which China has almost complete claims.

Vietnam has been a vocal opponent of China's South China Sea claims. Meanwhile, countries in the region 'welcome' this US military presence, to deal with China's militarization, including with the deployment of coast guards and expanded fishing.

"We don't want to see any country dominate the region or take advantage of a power situation to compromise another nation's sovereignty," the White House official said.

"The Vice President will emphasize the existence of free passages for trade, throughout the South China Sea, and that no country should not respect the rights of others," the statement said.

Before Vice President Harris visited, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Vietnam last week to deepen security cooperation between the two countries. Meanwhile Secretary Austin, U.S. Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman met with senior Chinese diplomats last month, though with little success in easing tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Meanwhile, this week, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken attended a series of virtual meetings with Southeast Asian countries, in the face of China's hegemony. However, he also expressed concern with the deteriorating relationship between the US and China, as many countries want to maintain relations with Washington and Beijing.

"It is very important for the US and China to try to engage with each other to prevent a clash, which would be disastrous for both sides, and the world," Foreign Minister Blinken said.

To note, Vice President Harris is scheduled to be in Singapore on August 22, then arrive in Vietnam on August 24 and fly back on August 26.