Harris seeks Indo-Pacific ally during Biden’s vacation.
Harris Steps into the Spotlight with Biden at the Beach
Vice President Kamala Harris hosted Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene for bilateral meetings at the White House on Wednesday while President Joe Biden continues his August vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
With Biden at the beach, Harris has stepped in to fill the president’s public-facing responsibilities, including delivering a rebuttal to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) education reforms in Florida on Tuesday and a trip to Kenosha County, Wisconsin, to tout the administration’s “Internet for All” broadband expansion plan.
Strengthening Ties in the Indo-Pacific Region
Harris noted during remarks alongside Luvsannamsrain that the United States and Mongolia will sign an Open Skies flight agreement, but the bulk of her comments focused on solidifying ties with allies in the Indo-Pacific region in the face of the growing threat presented by Beijing, though she did not specifically name China in her remarks.
“Mongolia has been a reliable democracy and friend in the Indo-Pacific for more than three decades, and the partnership between our countries has helped to ensure stability and prosperity in the region,” she declared. “The American people have a profound stake in the future of the Indo-Pacific as a proud Pacific power. It is in our vital interest to promote an Indo-Pacific region that is open, interconnected, prosperous, secure, and resilient, which is why President Biden and I have each been, since we have been in office, to the Indo-Pacific three times.”
“Since we have taken office, the president and I have made it our intention and focus to reinforce our defense and deterrence commitments and our security presence in the region. We have provided an ambitious and affirmative economic agenda for the region that will deliver growth for the American people and the people in that region,” Harris continued. “Together with our allies and partners, we have defended international rules and norms in the region and around the world, which underpin our security and prosperity. All of this work in the Indo-Pacific is guided by a key priority of the Biden-Harris administration, which is to strengthen our alliances and partnerships in the region.”
Biden and Harris have spent considerable time this year courting regional allies in efforts to deter economic and military aggression from China, specifically regarding Taiwan.
The president has hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the White House for state visits in recent months and held expanded bilateral meetings with President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Biden also traveled to Hiroshima, Japan, in late May to attend the G7 summit and was slated to travel to Papua New Guinea and Australia following the summit but was forced to return to Washington, D.C., early to take part in the debt ceiling negotiations.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...