Harris emphasizing human and worker rights in Vietnam

HANOI – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris turned her attraction to issues surrounding idiosyncratic rights and civilian liberties Thursday arsenic she closed retired her sojourn to Southeast Asia, elevating activists successful a portion of the satellite known for its challenges and restrictions to quality rights.

In Vietnam, Harris participated successful what her squad billed arsenic a “changemakers” lawsuit with activists moving connected LGBTQ rights and clime change.

“It is captious that if we are to instrumentality connected the challenges we look that we bash it successful a mode that is collaborative, that we indispensable empower leaders successful each sector, including of people authorities but assemblage leaders, concern leaders, civic nine if we are to maximize the resources we collectively have,” Harris said.

Later Thursday, Harris volition talk astatine a quality league earlier opening the travel backmost to the U.S.

Vietnam has been criticized for restrictions connected state of look and the press, wide unit against women successful the state and its crackdown connected individuals it deems governmental dissidents. While Harris spoke astir the request to support women and rights for transgender people, she expressed nary disapproval of the authorities of Vietnam for its abuses portion reporters were successful the room.

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The events were capping disconnected a weeklong travel that took Harris to Singapore and Vietnam successful a bid to fortify U.S. relations with the 2 countries and affirm the committedness to a portion that’s grown progressively important to U.S. efforts to antagonistic China’s power globally.

The vice president spent the week gathering with leaders successful some nations to sermon ways successful which the U.S. tin deepen economical and defence ties. She unveiled caller agreements with Singapore to combat cyberthreats and tackle clime change, and assistance to Vietnam to make economical opportunities and combat the coronavirus, among different things.

While Harris has emphasized that her sojourn to Southeast Asia is intended to foster a affirmative narration with countries successful the portion and grow U.S. practice and involvement, she besides spent the sojourn ramping up Biden medication rhetoric toward China, issuing repeated warnings to the state to extremity its aggression successful the disputed South China Sea.

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“We request to find ways to unit and rise the pressure, frankly, connected Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention connected the Law of the Sea, and to situation its bullying and excessive maritime claims,” she said Wednesday.

Harris avoided the unscripted gaffes that overshadowed her archetypal overseas trip, to Guatemala and Mexico successful the spring, wherever her declaration to migrants — “do not come” — and her flip dismissal of questions astir her refusal to sojourn the borderline drew disapproval from some sides of the aisle. Harris took questions from reporters astatine aggregate points that trip, and sat for an extended cablegram quality interview.

In Asia, Harris stayed focused connected her meetings with officials and Biden medication talking points connected China. While questions surrounding the messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan dominated her archetypal time successful Singapore, Harris emphasized the aforesaid connection delivered by President Joe Biden and his aides — that the U.S. indispensable stay focused connected the evacuations, and not recriminations astir what went wrong.

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But she was definite to look much questions connected Afghanistan, the U.S. confrontation with China and its engagement successful the Indo-Pacific during her quality league Thursday.

On her travel home, Harris volition halt astatine Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam successful Hawaii to conscionable with servicemembers. Then she’ll crook her absorption to U.S. authorities astatine an lawsuit successful the San Francisco country for California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is facing a callback attempt.

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