U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday accused Beijing of continuing to “coerce” and “intimidate” in the South China Sea and pledged that Washington would pursue a free and open Indo Pacific.
Her comments came during a trip to Singapore and ahead of a visit to Vietnam, where U.S. officials aim to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to the region and address concerns about China’s claims to disputed parts of the South China Sea.
“We know that Beijing continues to coerce, to intimidate and to make claims to the vast majority of the South China Sea,” Harris said in a speech in Singapore.
“These unlawful claims have been rejected by the 2016 arbitral tribunal decision, and Beijing’s actions continue to undermine the rules based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations,” she said, referring to an international tribunal’s ruling over China’s claims in The Hague.
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