Hanoi:
Chinese state media on Wednesday accused U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris of looking for to drive a wedge in between China and its Southeast Asian neighbours with her comments that Beijing applied coercion and intimidation to back its South China Sea claims.
Harris made the comments in a speech in Singapore on Tuesday as element of a seven-day regional pay a visit to aimed at pivoting the United States back to Asia and countering China’s increasing influence.
“While pointing a finger at China and accusing it of ‘coercion’ and ‘intimidation’, Harris willfully ignored her own hypocrisy in attempting to coerce and intimidate regional countries to join Washington in its scheme to contain China,” the state run China Daily mentioned in an editorial.
Harris’ Singapore speech was a baseless attack on China, the editorial mentioned. “It seems that the United States’ only commitment to Southeast Asia is its dedicated efforts to drive a wedge between the Southeast Asian nations and China,” it added.
The U.S. administration has referred to as rivalry with China “the biggest geopolitical test” of the century and Southeast Asia has seen a series of higher-profile visits by best administration officials, like Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who visited Hanoi in late July.
Harris’ arrival in Hanoi was delayed https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/eve-harris-trip-vietnam-tells-china-it-does-not-pick-sides-2021-08-24/#:~:text=HANOI%2C%20Aug%2024%20(Reuters),to%20the%20mysterious%20Havana%20syndrome on Tuesday following the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam mentioned it had detected an “anomalous health incident”, potentially connected to the mysterious Havana Syndrome.
During the delay, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and China’s ambassador to Vietnam held a previously unannounced meeting, for the duration of which Chinh mentioned Vietnam does not take sides in foreign policy. The Chinese ambassador promised a donation of 2 million COVID-19 vaccines for the duration of the meeting.
China is Vietnam’s biggest trading companion and Vietnam is heavily reliant on components and gear from China for its manufacturing activities.
Their ruling Communist Parties retain close ties, but Vietnam and China have been embroiled in a longstanding dispute more than maritime claims in the South China Sea, identified as the East Sea in Vietnam.
China has established military outposts on artificial islands in the South China Sea, which is crossed by important shipping lanes and include gas fields and wealthy fishing grounds.
Six nations, China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan, lay claim to components of the waters.
The tensions have propelled Vietnam into becoming one of the most vocal opponents of Beijing’s claims in the disputed waterway and Hanoi has received U.S. military hardware, like coastguard cutters.
Ties in between Hanoi and Washington have grown closer more than 4 decades following the Vietnam War ended in 1975, even though Washington has mentioned there are limits to the relationship till Hanoi tends to make progress on human rights.
Analysts say Vietnam desires to upgrade its diplomatic relationship with the United States to a “strategic partnership” but is concerned such a move would anger Beijing.
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