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US tells ASEAN leaders it will be in region for 'generations'
Addressing a summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Vice President Kamala Harris said the region was a US priority. The opening session of their meeting at the State Department on Friday would focus on maritime security and health issues, she said.
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US Vice President Kamala Harris is joined by Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as she delivers opening remarks during a plenary meeting with Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders in the Loy Henderson Room at the State Department on May 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. Focusing on trade, human rights and climate change, Harris addressed the ASEAN leaders during a two day summit in Washington. (AFP/ Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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he United States told Southeast Asian leaders on Friday that it would remain in the region for generations and stressed the need to maintain freedom of the seas, which Washington says is challenged by China.
Addressing a summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Vice President Kamala Harris said the region was a US priority. The opening session of their meeting at the State Department on Friday would focus on maritime security and health issues, she said.
"The United States and ASEAN have shared a vision for this region, and together we will guard against threats to international rules and norms," she said.
She did not mention China, which Washington accuses of using coercion against its neighbors, by name.
"We stand with our allies and partners in defending the maritime rules-based order, which includes freedom of navigation and international law," she said.
"As an Indo-Pacific nation, the United States will be present and continue to be engaged in Southeast Asia for generations to come," Harris added.
Harris said the United States would continue to respond with ASEAN to the threat of COVID-19, having already donated more than 115 million vaccines to the region.
