Kamala Harris Says US has an Enduring Economic Commitment to the Asian Region
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris Meets Briefly with Chinese President Xi Jinping
- US has an “enduring economic commitment … measured not in years, but in decades and generations” to the Asian region: Kamala Harris
Bangkok: US has an “enduring economic commitment … measured not in years, but in decades and generations” to the Asian region, attracting world’s attention, capital and technology in the 21st century.
These remarks were made by US Vice President Kamala Harris in her opening remarks at the APEC CEO Summit held in Bangkok, Thailand, on Wednesday and Thursday and attended by many world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
US Vice President Kamala Harris is attended instead of President Joe Biden.
“Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific hold critical importance to the United States”, she further added.
““Our message is clear, the US is here to stay,” Harris promised as she stressed Washington’s previous efforts in the region, such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which is dedicated to equitable growth and high environmental and labour standards.
She also cited the Quad Vaccine Partnership launched last year in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking about regional cooperation, vice president said “strengthening partnerships with the private sector is also crucial to the United States’ plan to engage with the region”.
The Biden administration is also pioneering new models in economic cooperation, including the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework launched earlier this year to promote fair trade, supply chain resilience, clean energy and anti-corruption, she said.
The US and Japan have this year also signed a digital trade agreement that covers data flow, e-commerce and privacy issues. The US is committed to supporting new infrastructure investment in the developing world and has called on the private sector to help strengthen supply chains and promote clean energy, she added.
Citing the US Chips and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act, Harris said a stronger US economy would benefit not just Indo-Pacific partners but the entire region.
She added that the US government is committed to efforts that increase foreign direct investment and the free flow of capital. She also called on economies to ensure growth is equitable across society.
“As we go forward together, companies and economies in this region will find a US that brings immense opportunities for growth, a US that will uphold the rules of the road and a US that will help build prosperity for everyone,” the vice president said.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris Meets Briefly with Chinese President Xi Jinping
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday also met briefly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a White House official said.
“The Vice President noted a key message that President Biden emphasized in his November 14 meeting with President Xi: we must maintain open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between our countries,” the official said.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV confirmed the meeting later in the morning
Apec 2022 is being held at Bangkok’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre and wraps up on Saturday. APEC’s official mission is to promote regional economic integration.
APEC consists of 21 countries. Among them there are the 12 founding states (Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan), as well as China (joined in 1991), Mexico and Papua New Guinea (1993), Chile (1994), and Russia, Vietnam and Peru (1998). In 1991, two Chinese territories also joined APEC – Xianggang (Hong Kong) and Taiwan.
