- US Vice President Kamala Harris met with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Hali Mayakob.
- Singapore is one of the strongest security partners of the United States in Southeast Asia.
- An American official said that the two countries are working for common interests.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met with top leaders in Singapore on the first working day of her Southeast Asia trip on Monday, and established partnerships to respond to cyber threats, supply disruptions and the Covid-19 pandemic— -These areas have become President Joe’s top priority for the Biden administration.
During his visit, Harris met with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Hali Mayakob, aiming to strengthen relations with partners in the region as part of Washington’s efforts to respond to China’s growing economic and security influence.
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Senior U.S. government officials shared details of the meeting, and Harris is expected to hold a press conference with Lee later on Monday. She will also visit Changi Naval Base and visit the battleship Tulsa.
Singapore is not a treaty ally of the United States, but it is still one of the strongest security partners in the region and has deep trade relations. However, it also tries to balance its relationship with the United States and China by not taking sides.
The country has the largest port in Southeast Asia and supports the continued free navigation in the region, and China is becoming more and more confident in the region-U.S. officials will resolve this issue during Harris’ 7-day visit to the region. This also includes a visit to Vietnam.
‘Common security challenges’
According to senior U.S. government officials who spoke before the meeting, the two countries are still committed to responding to “common security challenges” in the region.
One of the officials stated that they “will not ask countries to choose between the United States and China.”
“We are working hard to develop these partnerships for a variety of positive reasons that are in our common interests… We also said that even if we support clear principles such as freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, we do not seek conflicts,” the official said.
The controversial South China Sea is a strategic waterway with potential oil and natural gas resources. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei have put forward competing propositions.
According to the conference briefing shared by the White House, the United States and Singapore reached a security agreement on Monday to reiterate the United States’ presence in the region through the “rotating deployment of US P-8 aircraft and littoral combat ships to Singapore”.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan welcomed the role played by the United States and China in the region-reflecting its subtle diplomatic gains. Success and the way Harris must manage.
Chong Ja Ian, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, referring to Singapore and Vietnam led by Harris, said: “The leaders of the two countries may be cautious to avoid creating the impression that Beijing may have reason to oppose.” Tuesday night.
Part of Harris’s mission during this trip will also be to convince the leaders of Singapore and Vietnam that Washington’s commitment to Southeast Asia is firm, not parallel to Afghanistan.
Curtis Chin, an Asian researcher at the Milken Institute and former U.S. ambassador to the Asian Development Bank, stated that “restoring trust and confidence in the unwavering and enduring power of the United States…must be the first.”
supply chain
The details disclosed by the White House show that during Harris’ visit, the United States and Singapore also agreed to expand cybersecurity cooperation in the financial and military fields, and strengthen information exchange on cyber threats.
After a series of high-profile attacks affecting fuel and food supplies in parts of the United States, cyber security has become the top agenda of the Biden administration.
Other initiatives include launching a dialogue between the United States and Singapore on establishing a supply chain, and Harris will hold more supply chain meetings in Singapore on Tuesday.
The Biden White House is addressing the serious shortage of semiconductor chips in the United States, which has severely harmed automakers and fueled inflation.
Countries have also established partnerships to fight Covid-19 and prepare for the next pandemic, and agreed to tackle the global climate crisis and promote smart cities and green building standards throughout ASEAN.
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