What is Havana Syndrome? US investigates incidents of Havana Syndrome near the White House.Ĭongressional Republicans and Democrats have pressed the Biden administration to further investigate and identify the cause of the unknown illness as the number of cases has grown. Presidential and vice presidential trips frequently run behind schedule, but Harris' delay in Singapore was more than three hours. The vice president's first foreign trip in June to Guatemala was delayed when her plane was forced to return to Joint Base Andrews after a technical issue. Washington has repeatedly criticised Beijing’s expansive claims to almost the entire flashpoint South China Sea, which overlaps with the claims of several Southeast Asian states and Taiwan.Īt Monday’s press conference, Harris reiterated US commitment to “uphold the rules-based international order and freedom of navigation, including in the South China Sea”.Harris is scheduled to meet Vietnamese leaders including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to discuss regional security and economic cooperation as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. Southeast Asia is seen as critically important at a time China is challenging US political sway and naval dominance in the region. The crisis has prompted comparisons with the trauma of 1975 in Saigon, when US helicopters ferried final evacuees from the embassy roof, as Viet Cong troops advanced.īut US officials insist the trip was planned long before the Afghan crisis and is focused on Washington’s broader strategic goals in Asia. Harris is also facing criticism for being tone-deaf in going ahead with a visit to Vietnam as US forces struggle to evacuate tens of thousands of people. US President Joe Biden’s administration is seeking to reset relationships in Asia after the turbulent Trump era, and project Washington as a stabilising force in the face of growing Chinese aggression.īut analysts say the seizure of power by the Taliban, notorious for their brutal 1996-2001 rule, and rapid collapse of US-trained Afghan forces have caused fresh concerns about US dependability. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomed the vice president’s reassurances and said Singapore was offering a military aircraft to help in the chaotic evacuation from Kabul airport overseen by the US army.īut he also expressed hopes that “Afghanistan does not become an epicentre for terrorism again”. “The reason I am here is because the United States is a global leader, and we take that role seriously.”īut she dodged questions about whether US credibility had been damaged by the Afghan debacle, saying her government’s focus was on “evacuating American citizens, Afghans who worked with us and vulnerable Afghans, including women and children”. “Our administration is committed to enduring engagement in Singapore, into Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific,” Harris told a press conference alongside Singapore’s leader. The hardline Islamists’ swift return to power a week ago, and desperate scenes of thousands trying to flee, have cast a shadow over the United States’ status as a global superpower.īut on a visit to Singapore, her first stop on a trip that will also include Vietnam, Harris repeatedly insisted that Washington could be depended on.
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