Harris Rebukes China In Major Speech On Indo-Pacific.
On August 24, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a sharp rebuke to China for its incursions in the South China Sea.
We know that Beijing continues to coerce, to intimidate and to make claims to the vast majority of the South China Sea.
Beijing's actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations, Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President, via NPR.
Harris's major foreign policy speech was delivered during a weeklong trip through Southeast Asia.
The speech sought to cement the U.S. commitment to supporting its allies in an area of growing importance to the Biden administration.
According to NPR, the speech came at a critical time for the United States.
The Biden administration seeks to pivot toward Asia while America's long-running focus on the Middle East comes to an end.
Harris underscored this shift, calling the Indo-Pacific "critically important to our nation's security and prosperity." .
She said that while the U.S. is focused on closing out its Afghanistan engagement by evacuating as many people as possible.
"it is also imperative that as we address developments in one region, we continue to advance our interests in other regions, including this region.", Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice President, via NPR.
And China hit back, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stating that the U.S. "can smear, suppress, coerce, and bully other countries at will in order to maintain America first, without paying any price.".
This is the order that the U.S. wants.
The U.S. always tries to make use of the rules and order to justify its own selfish, bullying and hegemonic behavior, but who still believe it now?, Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, via NPR
