Harris and seamen
© ReutersUS Vice-President Kamala Harris visits the USS Tulsa in Singapore on Monday.
China accused the United States of losing credibility in its foreign policy following its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, as US Vice-President Kamala Harris tried to reassure Asia of Washington's commitment to the region.

Harris' trip to Singapore and Vietnam this week comes during the first major foreign policy crisis of President Joe Biden's administration.

In particular, Harris' expected arrival in Vietnam on Tuesday stirred comparisons between the frantic evacuation following the fall of Kabul last week and America's humiliating withdrawal from Saigon in 1975.


While in Singapore, Harris outlined the Biden administration's Indo-Pacific strategy and its shifting focus to the region. Harris said Washington's vision was one of
"peace and stability, freedom on the seas, unimpeded commerce, advancing human rights, a commitment to the international rules-based order and the recognition that our common interests are not zero sum".
She also criticised Beijing's vast claims and actions in the South China Sea as undermining the rules-based order and threatening "the sovereignty of nations".

But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday that America's abandonment of its Afghan partners undermined its reliability for allies and the world.
"What is currently happening in Afghanistan has clearly shown the world what truly are American-led rules and order. The US can recklessly conduct military intervention against a sovereign country without taking responsibility for the people of that nation. The US can come and go whenever they wish without consulting the international community and not even its allies.

"The US has always used rules and order to justify its selfish and bullying behaviour. But how many people would still trust it now?"
Kabul airport
© British Ministry of Defence/AFPMembers of the British and US armed forces work at Kabul Airport on Saturday.
But Wang said China was willing to maintain communication with other members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum, including the US, after Harris said Washington wanted to host the 2023 APEC meeting.

Harris arrived in Singapore on Sunday and was expected to leave for Vietnam late on Tuesday. Her two-nation tour, although overshadowed by the crisis in Afghanistan, carries an outsized significance in trying to convince Southeast Asia of the US' commitment to the region.

The withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan has triggered concerns about whether Washington will withdraw its commitment from the Indo-Pacific region. China has lashed out at Washington for creating chaos in Central Asia, but Washington said it remained committed to the region's affairs.


Biden is yet to speak with any Southeast Asian leader. Several of the ambassadorial posts in the region, including the one for ASEAN, remain vacant.

In her speech on Tuesday, Harris said the US would "invest our time and our energy to fortify our key partnerships, including with Singapore and Vietnam".