Vice President Kamala Harris will underscore America’s commitment to defending an ally, the Philippines, with a visit that begins Sunday and will include a flight to an island province that overlooks the disputed South China Sea, in the face of accusations from Washington. that Beijing intimidates small nations that also have claims to those waters.
After attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum summit in Thailand, Harris will travel to Manila on Sunday night to meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. the following day for talks aimed at reinforcing Asia’s oldest alliance. Washington in Asia as well as strengthening economic ties, a senior US official who was not identified under protocol rules said during an online briefing ahead of the visit.
On Tuesday, Harris will fly to the South China Sea-facing province of Palawan, where she will meet with local fishermen, villagers, authorities and the coast guard. Harris is the highest-ranking US official to visit the border island in a region that is at the forefront of a protracted territorial dispute involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.