Vice President Harris says US will ‘speak up’ on South China Sea

In visits to Singapore and Vietnam, the US’s Kamala Harris charged China with bullying its neighbours in the region.

The United States welcomes competition and does not seek conflict with Beijing – but will speak up on issues like maritime disputes in the South China Sea, Vice President Kamala Harris has declared as she concluded a trip to Southeast Asia. In visits to Singapore and Vietnam, Harris charged China with bullying its neighbours in the region, triggering sharp rebukes from Beijing, which accused the US of meddling in regional affairs and disrupting the peace. “We welcome stiff competition, we do not seek conflict but on issues such as the South China Sea, we are going to speak up,” Harris told a news conference in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi on Thursday.