However, on Monday, reporters turned to a monitor in another room to poke Harris at the tumultuous exit from Afghanistan while standing next to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loon at a news conference. joint meeting after its first bilateral meeting. President is approaching the developing crisis.
“There is no doubt that there will be, and should be, a solid analysis of what has happened,” Harris said, while failing to respond if he was personally satisfied with the operational measures being taken during the withdrawal. of the United States. Officials separated journalists traveling with the vice president from politicians due to Singapore’s Covid-19 restrictions.
There had already been some questions about Biden’s attention in Southeast Asia; he has not spoken directly to any leader in the region since taking office. One of the reasons he has explained to end the war in Afghanistan is the desire to focus on current issues, such as countering China’s rise.
On Monday, even as Harris tried to project the administration’s focus to bolster its influence in Asia, he still faced questions about the Afghanistan crisis.
“Right now, we are especially focused on evacuating American citizens, Afghans who worked with us, and vulnerable Afghans, including women and children,” Harris added. He also defended President Joe Biden, saying he had shown “great excitement” over the images coming out of Afghanistan.
Political experts, and even his own allies, say Harris faces increased pressure to fulfill two responsibilities that are largely unfamiliar to him in the seven months he has been in office: delivering a political victory. for a crisis administration and to shape Biden’s call to boost the US focus abroad. to counter the rise of China.
“It will be a real point of attack for her to exude that the United States is here and we are committed to the things we say we are committed to,” a source close to Harris told CNN last week.
Harris’ comments on Monday echoed Biden’s statements from previous days, saying the time for reflection and criticism will come later, as the focus remains on the dangerous mission of evacuating tens of thousands from the city now controlled by the Taliban. But that notion has not stopped the barrage of questions about the administration’s competition and who is to blame for the collapse in Kabul.
“The reason I’m here is because the United States is a world leader and we take that role seriously, understanding that we have a lot of interests and priorities around the world,” Harris said Monday. “I am here in Singapore as a reaffirmation of our commitment to our members in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Monday agreements
Following Harris’ meeting with Lee, the White House announced several initiatives with the Singapore government aimed at “strengthening and deepening” government partnerships in Southeast Asia. The agreements focus on alleviating supply chain problems exacerbated by the pandemic, combating cybersecurity threats, tackling climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Harris and Lee will launch the US-Singapore dialogue on the supply chain, according to a fact sheet provided from their office, which would be a “high-level dialogue on improving cooperative efforts to promote greater strength in the supply chain. supply “. CNN reported Friday that the trade would affect the issue of global competition in the vice president’s trip, as the United States faces a global shortage of microchips.
On cybersecurity, the couple announced that they have finalized “three agreements that will expand cybersecurity cooperation in the financial sector, military-to-military engagement and regional capacity building.”
And the United States and Singapore say they will follow Covid-19 variants more closely and will also collaborate in treatment research, among other agreements on defense issues.
The vice president then received an information session from Singapore defense officials on the U.S. defense relationship with Singapore at Changi Naval Base before addressing U.S. sailors aboard the USS Tulsa.
He thanked the troops for their efforts in Afghanistan, as they are discussing the possibility of remaining in Kabul beyond the August 31 deadline to leave the country so that US troops can finish the war. evacuation effort.
“The men and women who have served in Afghanistan, including some who are here today, and I have read about your service, and those who serve there right now, I just want to say that we are all grateful to the men and women in uniform. and the ground embassy staff who provide security to Americans and Afghans who worked side by side with us and other Afghans at risk, ”Harris said.
“And they’re doing this mission in an incredibly challenging and dangerous environment, and the president and I are grateful for their service.”
Harris then returned to the job he held, deepening the relationship in the Indo-Pacific, a region he described as “critical” to U.S. security.
Biden has focused his national economic policy agenda on strengthening the country’s infrastructure and manufacturing capacity to compete with China, making it no secret that he intends to wage the battles of the “next 20 years” instead of the latter, part of his reason for withdrawing from Afghanistan.
“At the same time, other missions continue around the world. So you’re all here in Singapore – and in Southeast Asia and the Indo Pacific – with a mission of their own, a mission that is vital to the American people.” Harris told U.S. sailors after boarding the battleship USS Tulsa. “The Indo-Pacific is critical to the security and prosperity of the United States.”
The vice president is expected to make statements on Tuesday in Singapore to set out the administration’s view on the region, a White House official focused on security, economic partnerships and global health said.
“The vice president will discuss an issue she has commented on many times before: she believes we are embarking on a new era. Our world is more interconnected and interdependent than ever, so the only way forward is together,” he said. official.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Sophie Jeong, Chandler Thornton and Betsy Klein contributed to this report.