Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday told Asian leaders that the United States has a long-term commitment to the region, dismissing doubts about her commitment as China expands its influence.
At a Bangkok summit, Harris called the United States a “proud Pacific power” and said the longstanding US network of security alliances has helped Asia thrive.
“The United States is here to stay,” Harris told business leaders on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which was also attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Our message is clear: The United States has an enduring economic commitment to the Indo-Pacific, one measured not in years but in decades and generations,” she said, using the US preferred term for the Asia- Pacific.
President Joe Biden’s administration has focused on rallying behind allies, and Harris will travel from Thailand to the Philippines, where she will visit an island near waters increasingly contested by Beijing.
While the United States is taking a firm stance on China, some Asian officials have questioned the extent of US economic involvement.
Biden has largely followed his predecessor, Donald Trump, in turning the page on the free trade agreement era, seeing it as unpopular among working-class US voters.
Harris insisted that economic partnerships in Asia are “the top priority” for the Biden administration, noting that the US private sector is investing around $1 trillion in the region annually.
“America is a strong partner for the economies and businesses of this region because America is and will remain an important engine of global growth, which is amplified by our administration’s approach,” she said.
She said that goal has bipartisan support as Washington awaits a major gridlock after the rival Republican Party won control of the House of Representatives in last week’s election.
Biden launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework earlier this year on a trip to Tokyo, which brings countries together to set common standards on technology and trade in the face of China’s rapid advances, but doesn’t remove tariffs like a traditional free trade agreement.
“We are all feeling the unease and anxiety of the global economy today,” US Trade Representative Katherine Tai told reporters Thursday.
“We need diverse outcomes and that means we also need to innovate in how we engage with each other in trade and business and across the board,” she said.
Despite US engagement vows, Biden skipped the APEC summit to attend his granddaughter’s White House wedding on Saturday.
However, last week he attended two other summits in Asia, in Cambodia and Indonesia.
