Kamala Harris will visit the Philippine island province adjacent to the South China Sea
Manila (Philippines). US Vice President Kamala Harris will outline America’s commitment to its defense during a visit to the Philippines starting on Sunday. During her trip to the Philippines, Harris will also visit Palawan, an island province with a coast bordering the disputed South China Sea. The US has been accusing China of bullying smaller claimant countries in the South China Sea.
A senior US administration official told an online briefing ahead of the trip that after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Thailand, Harris will fly to Manila on Sunday night and meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday. Will meet The official said the talks were aimed at consolidating Washington’s oldest treaty alliance in Asia and strengthening economic ties.
Harris said her visit to Thailand had been “quite a success”. He reiterated America’s commitment to the region Sunday afternoon at a roundtable on climate change. A panel of climate activists, civil society members and industry leaders discussed clean energy and the threat posed by climate change to the Mekong River. More than 60 million people in Southeast Asia use the river for food, water and transportation.
Harris announced that the US plans to provide up to $20 million for clean energy in the region through the Japan-US Mekong Energy Partnership. Before her flight, Harris stopped at a local market and chatted with shopkeepers. She will fly to Palawan province on the South China Sea coast on Tuesday to meet fishermen, villagers, officials and coast guards. The South China Sea dispute involves China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. According to Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Armand Balilo, the Philippine Coast Guard will welcome Harris on board the BRP Teresa Magbanua, one of its largest patrol vessels in Palawan.
Harris will also give a speech there. The US official said Harris would highlight the importance of international law, unimpeded commerce and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Responding to a question, the official said that China can view the visit in whatever way it wants to, but the message from Washington is that as a member of the Indo-Pacific, the US is committed to the security of its allies in the region. Is. Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippine ambassador to Washington, said Harris’ visit to Palawan reflected US support for an ally and the level of concern over China’s actions in the disputed sea.
