JAKARTA - US Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday accused Beijing of coercion and intimidation to support unlawful claims in the South China Sea.
It was his sharpest comment on China, made on the sidelines of a visit to Southeast Asia he said was important to US security.
Vice President Kamala Harris' seven-day trip to Singapore and Vietnam, her second international trip, is aimed at confronting China's growing security and economic clout, addressing concerns about Beijing's claims to disputed parts of the South China Sea and showing Washington can take the lead.
In her address in Singapore, Vice President Harris laid out a US vision for a region built on human rights and an international order, based on rules and seeking to strengthen Washington's axis towards Asia.
She said the United States had volunteered to host a meeting of the 21 members of the APEC Asia-Pacific trade group, which includes the United States, China, and Russia, in 2023.
Diverting attention and resources to the region has been a centerpiece of President Joe Biden's administration, as the region has turned away from a long-standing security preoccupation with the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
The US government has called the rivalry with China the 'biggest geopolitical test' of the century, with Southeast Asia has seen a series of high-level visits by top government officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
"We know that Beijing continues to coerce, intimidate and claim large parts of the South China Sea", Harris said in her speech.
"These unlawful claims have been rejected by the 2016 arbitral tribunal's decision, and Beijing's actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the country's sovereignty", it said, referring to an international tribunal ruling on China's claims in The Hague, Netherlands.
China has rejected the decision and has maintained its claim to most of the waters within the so-called Nine Highways on its maps, which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
In addition, the Bamboo Curtain Country has also established military posts on artificial islands in the waters, which are crossed by vital shipping lanes and also contain gas fields, as well as rich fishing grounds.
Meanwhile, the US Navy regularly conducts "freedom of navigation" operations through the disputed waters, which China opposes, saying they do not help promote peace or stability in the South China Sea.
Aboard the USS Tulsa, a US warship at the Changi Naval Base in Singapore on Monday, Vice President Harris told US sailors: "much of 21st-century history will be written about this region, and their work to defend it is very important".
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For information, Vice President Harris started his visit last Monday, by meeting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. They discussed the importance of rules and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region, expanding cybersecurity cooperation, and efforts to shore up critical supply chains between their countries.
"Our partnerships in Singapore, in Southeast Asia, and across the Indo-Pacific are a top priority for the United States", he said on Tuesday, adding that the region was critical to the security and prosperity of the United States.
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