August 23, 2021

About a month after US Defense Minister Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's Asia-Pacific visit to Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines in July, US Vice President Kamala Harris landed in Singapore on Sunday, the start of her visit to "strengthen relationships and expand economic cooperation "in Southeast Asia amid the Afghan debacle of the Biden Administration. 

Harris is scheduled to talk with Singapore President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong before moving to Vietnam on Tuesday, according to media reports. Washington's Kabul fiasco has drawn many comparisons to its withdrawal from Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City) in 1975 in Vietnam.

Chinese experts said that similar to Austin's trip, Harris' visit to the Asia-Pacific is designed to drive a wedge in the region and contain China, which will not be effective as Beijing is the most important partner for ASEAN countries in major concerns, including the fight against COVID-19, vaccine supply and economic recovery.  

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https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1232162.shtml