Kamala Harris kicks off Vietnam visit by calling out China’s ‘bullying’ tactics – By Yen Nee Lee (CNBC) / Aug 25 2021
- The strategic competition between the U.S. and China came to forefront as Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off the second leg of her official visit to Southeast Asia in Vietnam.
- Harris told Vietnamese officials in capital city of Hanoi on Wednesday that there was a need to pressure Beijing on its actions in the South China Sea.
- The vice president is scheduled to conclude her Southeast Asia trip on Thursday.
The strategic competition between the U.S. and China came to forefront as Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off the second leg of her official visit to Southeast Asia in Vietnam.
Harris told Vietnamese officials in the capital city of Hanoi on Wednesday there was a need to put pressure Beijing on its actions in the South China Sea. Vietnam is a vocal opponent of China’s vast territorial claims in the strategic waterway.
“We need to find ways to pressure and raise the pressure, frankly, on Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge its bullying and excessive maritime claims,” said Harris.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS is an international treaty that outlines nations’ rights and responsibilities in the world’s ocean space. It forms the basis for how international courts, such as the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, settle maritime disputes.
