Harris to visit Vietnam, Singapore

REGIONAL SECURITY

WASHINGTON • Kamala Harris will become the first U.S. vice-president to visit Vietnam next month during a trip that will also include Singapore and is aimed at rallying international support to counter China’s growing influence.

Harris will discuss regional security, the global response to COVID-19, climate change, and “our joint efforts to promote a rulesbased international order,” said spokesperson Symone Sanders.

Former U.S. foe Vietnam has emerged as a key U.S. partner and a vocal opponent of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Harris’ trip will follow one that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made this week to Hanoi.

“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 outlining Harris’s travel plans.

It did not give precise dates for her trip and diplomats said these were still being worked on.

In Vietnam on Thursday, Austin sought to nudge forward security ties that have been steadily deepening amid shared concern about China’s activities in the South China Sea.

Austin also visited the Philippines and scored a significant success when its President Rodrigo Duterte restored a pact governing the movement of U.S. troops in and out of the country, something strategically vital for U.S. efforts to counter China.