Kamala Harris to visit Philippine island at edge of South China Sea dispute

Name: Philippine coastguard sends strong warning to Chinese vessels during South China Sea patrol
Uploaded: 2022-11-15T23:05:27.000Z
Duration: 1 min 5 s
Description: Philippine coastguard sends strong warning to Chinese vessels during South China Sea patrol

The visit, scheduled for next Tuesday, will make vice-president Harris the highest-ranking US official to visit Palawan, near the Spratly Islands

Coming days after a face-to-face meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping intended to ease tensions, the trip may frustrate Beijing

Reading Time:2 minutes

Why you can trust SCMP

Reuters

Published: 7:05am, 16 Nov 2022Updated: 8:21am, 16 Nov 2022

US Vice-President Kamala Harris will visit the Philippine Islands of Palawan in the South China Sea, a senior administration official said on Tuesday, in a move that may be interpreted by Beijing as a sharp rebuke.

The visit, scheduled for next Tuesday, will make Harris the highest-ranking American official to visit the island chain near the Spratly Islands. China has dredged the sea floor to build harbours and airstrips on the Spratlys, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Beijing claims some territories in the waters off Palawan and much of the South China Sea as part of China, citing domestic historical maps. A 2016 international arbitration ruling, however, said the Chinese claims had no legal basis, in a victory for Manila that has yet to be enforced.

01:05

Philippine coastguard sends strong warning to Chinese vessels during South China Sea patrol

Coming days after a three-hour, face-to-face meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping intended to ease tensions, the trip may frustrate Beijing.

The South China Sea, which contains massive oil and gas deposits, is the stage for US$5 trillion in ship-borne trade each year but also a flashpoint for Chinese and US tensions around naval operations.

In Palawan, Harris is expected to meet “residents, civil society leaders and representatives of the Philippines Coast Guard,” the senior administration official said.

The trip will show the administration’s “commitment to stand with our Philippine ally in upholding the rules-based international maritime order in the South China Sea, supporting maritime livelihoods and countering illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing,” the US official said.