U.S. VP Harris to visit Vietnam, Singapore -White House
Kamala Harris is the first woman of colour in the job, the first female and soon she will become the first U.S. vice president to visit Vietnam.
Vice President Harris will be in the country next month during a trip that will also include Singapore and is aimed at strengthening ties with "two critical Indo-Pacific partners," the White House said today (Friday).
China's growing dominance is said to be a top concern for the Biden administration.
Harris will discuss regional security, the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and "our joint efforts to promote a rules-based international order," it said.
"President Biden and Vice President Harris have made it a top priority to rebuild our global partnerships and keep our nation secure, and this upcoming visit continues that work," the White House said in a statement.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Vietnam on Thursday to nudge forward security ties with the country that have been slowly deepening as both countries watch China's activities in the South China Sea with growing alarm. read more
On Sunday, the United States also shipped 3 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to former Cold War enemy Vietnam.
Earlier this month, Wendy Sherman - Deputy Secretary of State - made a trip to the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin to meet Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other officials. The two sides seemed to stop just short of negotiating anything, sticking instead to lists of established demands. read more
China's growing dominance is said to be a top concern for the Biden administration. During a recent trip to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, President Joe Biden highlighted the threats posed by China.
He referred to President Xi Jinping as "deadly earnest about becoming the most powerful military force in the world, as well as the largest and most prominent economy in the world by the mid- 2040s."
This will not be Kamala Harris's first overseas trip. She recently visited Mexico and Guatemala with the aim of lowering migration from the region. During her trip she focused on issues such as economic development, food insecurity and women's issues.
Source: WASHINGTON, (Reuters)
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