Vice President Kamala Harris leaves for Thailand and the Philippines on Wednesday to tout the US as the Indo-Pacific’s “best partner” for economic stability amid China’s push to expand its own influence in the region. The vice president’s visit follows President Joe Biden’s weeklong trip to the same region as he sought to assert American leadership abroad.
The vice president will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit, hold bilateral meetings with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Philippine President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, as well as other leaders , local activists and women of note to reaffirm US economic commitment to the Indo-Pacific and Southeast Asia.
“This project is based on the president’s current and ongoing trip to Southeast Asia,” a senior administration official told reporters on a briefing call when describing the back-to-back visits. “And when the two come together, I think it shows a deepening of our commitment to this area. And the effort of both the president and the vice president to strengthen our alliances in the region and invest in its critical institutions.”
Harris is visiting the area after Biden returns to Washington for his granddaughter’s wedding.
She will double down on “economic growth and the defense of American workers and businesses” as key themes throughout her trip, the second trip to the region during her tenure.
The vice president will also visit the Philippine island of Palawan next week during her trip to Asia, a senior administration official told CNN. It’s a move that could create tension with China over its proximity to the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The official said Harris, who will visit Palawan next Tuesday, will be the highest-ranking US official ever to visit the island.
Reuters was the first to report on Harris’ visit.
Harris, the US first vice president for South Asia, lands in Bangkok on Thursday local time and will participate in leaders’ retreats for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ meeting on Friday and Saturday.
“It will lay out the core principles we believe should guide APEC economies and rally other economies around our vision for the future of the rules-based international economic order,” the senior administration official said.
The vice president will likely hold meetings with leaders on the sidelines of the summit, but the senior administration official did not say whether Harris will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who is scheduled to attend.
Biden had a three-hour conversation Monday with his Chinese counterpart, their first face-to-face meeting since Biden took office and an opportunity both sides appeared to hope would lead to an improvement in rapidly deteriorating relations. The meeting, which Biden later called “open and honest,” appeared to ease some tensions between the rival nations.
But on Friday, Harris will describe the US as the region’s “best partner” when she delivers remarks at the APEC CEO summit.
“There is no better partner for Indo-Pacific economies and companies than the United States of America,” said the senior government official. Harris’ remarks will touch on the Biden administration’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, launched earlier this year, which covers supply chains, climate, chipmaking and more.
“When you put it all together, frankly, we think it tells a very positive story with significant resources coming to the table. We know there is a strong demand for an increased economic presence from the United States. And the vice president will make it clear that we have responded to the call for that increased economic presence,” the senior administration official added.
Harris’ bilaterals with Thailand’s Prayut come on Saturday and will focus on “the climate crisis and economic growth by accelerating the transition to clean energy.” More deliverables of new initiatives and funding are expected.
And the official said they expect the vice president to talk about Myanmar, an issue Biden highlighted on his trip to Cambodia and Indonesia.
On Sunday, the vice president will convene a climate and energy roundtable with a notable focus on the Mekong region with environmental activists before flying to Manila.
On Monday, Harris will meet with her Philippine counterpart Sara Vicenta Zimmerman Duterte-Carpio before her bilateral meeting with President Marcos to confirm defense commitments.
“The vice president will reaffirm our defense commitments to the Philippines and the importance of our alliance to peace and stability in the South China Sea. They will discuss adherence to international rules and norms,” the senior administration official said.
Later on Monday, Harris will participate in moderated conversation with an audience of young Filipina women, continuing her efforts to meet with women while traveling abroad.
Finally, Harris will travel to Puerto Princesa in Palawan to meet with “residents, civil society leaders and representatives of the Philippine Coast Guard,” the senior administration official noted. And it will “reiterate the importance of international law, unimpeded trade and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.”
Beijing claims control over almost the entire South China Sea. China’s claims there stretch almost as far as the Philippines and include disputed island groups such as the Spratly Islands.
But as CNN previously reported, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines also have claims to the Spratly chain, where China has turned the dark reefs and sands into artificial islands, fortified with missiles, runways and weapons systems.
“This visit demonstrates the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to upholding international sea-based rules, supporting marine livelihoods and addressing illegal unregulated, illegal fishing,” the official said.
Harris will also make remarks “underscoring the importance of unhindered international trade law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.”
“China can get the message it wants,” the senior administration official said of Harris’ weeklong trip.
“The message to the region is that the United States is a member of the Indo-Pacific. We are engaged. We are committed to the security of our allies in the region,” they added. “We are friends and partners. And so it’s a positive agenda for us rather than kind of a negative for competing with anybody else.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
