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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

As US and China vie to win over Asia-Pacific, France warns of need for ‘single global order’

  • US Vice-President Kamala Harris and Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterate Asia-Pacific commitments as leaders gather for the Apec summit
  • US-China power struggle poses ‘a big challenge’, French President Emmanuel Macron says, as he warns against having to pick sides

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Vice-President Kamala Harris addresses the Apec CEO summit in Bangkok on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Dewey Simin Singapore
The United States and China promoted their ambitious plans for the Indo-Pacific at an Apec business forum, even as other leaders warned of the dangers of splitting the globe into two blocs.
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US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Friday underscored Washington’s “enduring” long-term plan for the region, amid growing uncertainty among governments and businesses over its lack of commitment to Asia.

“Our message is clear. The United States has an enduring economic commitment to the Indo-Pacific; one that is measured not in years but in decades and generations,” she told business leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) CEO forum in Bangkok. “There is no better economic partner for this region than the United States.”

Under the Biden administration, partnerships in the Indo-Pacific had strengthened, with an “unprecedented expansion of ties” between the US and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Harris said.

Washington, she went on, would continue to work to increase foreign direct investment and increase the free flow of capital and trade with the region.

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China's foreign minister accuses US of ‘sinister move’ to disrupt regional peace and stability

China's foreign minister accuses US of ‘sinister move’ to disrupt regional peace and stability

Harris also rallied for greater support from businesses, stressing that the US would strengthen economic rules and norms while rejecting market distortions and unfair competitive advantages.

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