US Vice President Kamala Harris (He Jinli) criticized China on the South China Sea issue in a speech in Singapore.
At the first stop of his visit to Southeast Asia, Harris accused Beijing of carrying out a series of coercive and intimidating actions in the South China Sea. This region has been a flashpoint of geopolitical conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region in recent years.
Harris stated that the United States will "face the threat with our allies."
According to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on August 24 in response to U.S. Vice President Harris’s recent negative remarks concerning China, “The United States is trying to use rules and order to justify its selfishness and hegemony, but now there are more How many people would believe it?"
Harris' visit to Singapore and Vietnam during his seven-day trip to Asia this time was seen as a statement that the United States continues to devote itself to this regional affairs. Reuters reported that this trip is intended to show that the United States wants to counter China’s global presence. Security and economic influence, and shifting attention and resources to this area is a major focus of the Biden administration.
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She did not respond in detail to the criticism of the United States caused by the situation in Afghanistan.
Harris's visit was regarded as a statement of the United States' continued involvement in this regional affairs.
Her speech also touched on a range of other issues, including the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan. She insisted that the relevant decision was "brave and correct."
Criticize China for "threatening the sovereignty of other countries"
Harris criticized Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, stating that Beijing’s claims are based on intimidation and coercion.
"These illegal claims have been rejected by the 2016 arbitral tribunal, and Beijing's actions continue to undermine this rule-based order and threaten the sovereignty of some countries," she said.
Harris was referring to a landmark international arbitration case in 2016 in which the Philippines won a lawsuit against China in a lawsuit involving an invasion of territorial waters in the South China Sea. Despite the arbitral tribunal’s ruling, the Chinese Coast Guard has been present in the South China Sea since 2012, and Filipino fishermen reported that they were harassed by Chinese armed personnel.
In recent years, China has increasingly asserted its sovereignty in this disputed area, based on centuries of history, and has rapidly strengthened its military presence in this area to support related claims of sovereignty.
Several other countries, including Japan, also claim sovereignty over some small islands and reefs in this sea area and have the right to exploit the resources in this area.
"The livelihoods of millions of people depend on multi-billion-dollar trade activities that shuttle these waterways every day," Harris said in Singapore.
She said that much of the history of the 21st century will be written in the Indo-Pacific region, and the United States will work to build a "free and open" Indo-Pacific for itself and its allies.
But she also said that Washington is not asking countries to choose sides between China and the United States on Asia-Pacific affairs.
"Our involvement in Southeast Asia and Indo-Pacific affairs is not against any one country, nor is it for anyone to choose between different countries," she said.
"On the contrary, our participation is to promote an optimistic vision for our participation and cooperation in this region, and our economic vision is a key part of it."
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also visited Singapore last month and also expressed strong criticism of China's claims of maritime sovereignty.
Harris will visit Vietnam later on Tuesday (August 24).