- Chinese state media criticized the remarks made by U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
- It said she tried to make wedges among Southeast Asian countries.
- Harris said that China is intimidating neighboring countries.
Chinese state media on Wednesday accused U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris of trying to create a wedge between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors. Her comment was that Beijing used coercion and intimidation to support its claims in the South China Sea.
Read | US Vice President Harris’s visit to Vietnam is postponed due to “health incident” in Hanoi
Harris made the comments in a speech in Singapore on Tuesday as part of a seven-day regional visit to return the United States to Asia and counter China’s growing influence.
“While accusing China of’coercion’ and’intimidation’, Harris deliberately ignored his hypocrisy and tried to coerce and intimidate regional countries to join Washington’s plan to contain China,” the state-run China Daily said. In the editorial.
The editorial said that Harris’ speech in Singapore was a baseless attack on China.
It added: “The only U.S. commitment to Southeast Asia seems to be dedicated to making wedges between Southeast Asian countries and China.”
The U.S. government calls competition with China “the biggest geopolitical test of the century,” and Southeast Asia has seen a series of high-profile visits by senior government officials, including the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (Lloyd Austin) who visited Hanoi at the end of July. .
Read | Kamala Harris accuses China of “intimidating” in disputed waters
Long-term dispute
Harris’ arrival in Hanoi was delayed by an abnormal health “event”, which may be related to the mysterious Havana syndrome.
During the delay, Vietnamese Prime Minister Fan Myung Ching held an unannounced meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, during which Zheng Zheng stated that Vietnam does not favor any party in its foreign policy.
The Chinese ambassador pledged to donate 2 million Covid-19 vaccines during the conference.
China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner, and Vietnam’s manufacturing activities rely heavily on materials and equipment from China.
Their ruling Communist Party maintains close ties, but Vietnam and China have been embroiled in long-term disputes over maritime claims in the South China Sea (known as the East China Sea in Vietnam).
China has established military outposts on artificial islands in the South China Sea. There are important navigation channels passing through, and there are gas fields and abundant fishing grounds.
Six countries including China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan have put forward proposals on some waters.
Tensions have prompted Vietnam to become one of Beijing’s strongest opponents of the disputed waterway, and Hanoi has acquired US military hardware, including coast guard speedboats.
For more than 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, the relationship between Hanoi and Washington has become closer, although Washington stated that this relationship was limited until Hanoi made progress in human rights.
Analysts said that Vietnam hopes to upgrade its diplomatic relations with the United States to a “strategic partnership”, but fears that such a move will anger Beijing.
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