Harris hoping to reset relations
US veep to underscore commitment to defending regional security
VICE-PRESIDENT Kamala Harris will underscore America’s commitment to defending treaty ally the Philippines with a visit that involves flying to an island province facing the disputed South China Sea.
After attending the Asia-pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Thailand, Harris was set to fly yesterday night to Manila and then meet President Ferdinand Marcos Jr today for talks aimed at reinforcing Washington’s oldest treaty alliance in Asia and strengthening economic ties, said a senior US administration official, who was not identified according to practice, in an online briefing.
Harris said her trip to Thailand was “quite successful” as she reiterated the US commitment to the region yesterday afternoon at a roundtable discussion on climate change.
The panel of climate activists, civil society members and business leaders focused on clean energy and the threat climate change is posing to the Mekong River, which more than 60 million people in South-east Asia use for food, water and transport.
Harris announced the United States’ plans to provide up to Us$20mil (Rm91mil) in funding for clean energy in the region via the Japan-us Mekong Power Partnership.
Before her flight out, she stopped by a local market and perused a maze of shops, struck up conversations with shopkeepers and purchased Thai green curry paste.
Tomorrow she will fly to Palawan province, which lies along the South China Sea, to meet fishermen, villagers, officials and the coastguard. Once there, she’ll be the highestranking US leader to visit the frontier island at the forefront of the long-seething territorial disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
The Philippine coastguard is scheduled to welcome Harris on board one of its biggest patrol ships, the BRP Teresa Magbanua , in Palawan, where she is scheduled to deliver a speech, according to coastguard spokesperson Commodore Armand Balilo.
Harris will underscore the importance of international law, unimpeded commerce and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, the US official said.
China can view the visit the way it wants, the official added in response to a question, but Washington’s message is that the United States, as a member of the Indo-pacific, is engaged and committed to the security of its allies in the region.
Harris’ visit is the latest sign of the growing rapport between Washington and Manila under Marcos Jr, who took office in June after a landslide electoral victory.
America’s relations with the Philippines entered a tough period under Marcos Jr’s predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who threatened to sever ties with Washington and expel visiting US forces, and once tried to abrogate a major defence pact with the United States while nurturing cosy ties with China and Russia.
While aiming to deepen ties, the Biden administration has to contend with concerns by human rights groups over Marcos Jr.
The Philippine leader has steadfastly defended the legacy of his father, a dictator ousted in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising amid human rights atrocities and plunder.
Harris also plans to meet Vice-president Sara Duterte, daughter of Marcos’ predecessor, who oversaw a deadly anti-drugs crackdown that left thousands of mostly poor suspects dead and sparked an International Criminal Court investigation.
After meeting today with Marcos Jr, Harris plans to meet civil society activists to demonstrate the United States’ commitment and continued support for human rights and democratic resilience, the US official said.