Kamala Harris will visit Singapore and Vietnam next month, becoming the first US vice president to visit Hanoi.
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Kamala Harris and husband Doug Emhoff board Air Force Two before departing from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on March 15. Photo: AFP |
The trip is aimed to “strengthen relationships and expand economic cooperation with two critical Indo-Pacific partners of the United States,” the White House announced on Friday [July 30].
Harris will discuss issues of mutual interest, including regional security, the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and joint efforts to promote a rules-based international order, according to the White House.
US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Harris have made it “a top priority to rebuild our global partnerships and keep our nation secure, and this upcoming visit continues that work - deepening our engagement in Southeast Asia,” it stated.
The visit follows the visit paid to Vietnam on July 28-29 by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin that included Singapore and the Philippines.
During the two-day visit to Hanoi, Austin expressed Washington’s wish to upgrade ties with Vietnam to the strategic partnership.