WASHINGTON —
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has not yet won the Democratic Party's support for her presidential candidacy, but she has the endorsement of U.S. President Joe Biden, along with several senior Democrats, after his withdrawal from the race on Sunday.
If chosen by the party, and elected president, analysts agree Harris would likely continue the Biden administration's foreign policy, including the management of one of the most tense and consequential relationships — that with China.
When she first became vice president, Harris, a former U.S. senator and attorney general for California, was considered by many analysts to be somewhat of a novice in foreign policy. Over the past 3 ½ years as vice president, she has visited more than 19 countries and met with more than 150 foreign leaders, according to the White House website.
VOA compiled some of Harris's remarks on China policy during her tenure as vice president and earlier as a U.S. senator.
In September 2023, Harris traveled to attend the ASEAN summit in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. After the meeting, she spoke about U.S.-China relations and Indo-Pacific policy on CBS's “Face the Nation.”
"We, as the United States, in our policy, it is not about decoupling, it is about de-risking. It is about understanding," she said.
"It's not about pulling out, but it is about ensuring that we are protecting American interests, and that we are a leader in terms of the rules of the road, as opposed to following others' rules," Harris said.
"It's no secret that China is experiencing economic problems,” she said during the “Face the Nation" interview.
“And what you will find — certainly in my conversations with American business leaders — is that they are looking at the future in terms of their capital investments and taking into account which countries are engaged in practices that are about abiding by the rule of law and international rules and norms in a way that they can be guaranteed that there will be some stability so they can make long-term investments."
"There is increasingly an understanding that China may not be the best bet when you are looking for stability, when you are looking for an investment in a place where there is an adherence to and respect for international rules and norms," Harris added.
During her visit to Africa in March 2023, at a news conference with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, Harris reiterated her call for "all bilateral official creditors to provide a meaningful debt reduction for Zambia" — an oblique reference to China, Zambia’s top foreign creditor. However, she stressed that "our presence here is not about China."
Harris' first meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping was at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok in 2022, when she held brief talks with Xi and stressed the importance of maintaining "open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between our countries."
In a September 2022 meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Harris reaffirmed that the U.S. would continue to support Taiwan and oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo.
The White House said Harris underscored that the effort to preserve peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is an essential element of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
During a visit to Japan that same month, she said aboard the destroyer at Yokosuka Naval Base, "We have witnessed disturbing behavior in the East China Sea and in the South China Sea, and most recently, provocations across the Taiwan Strait."
China considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province that must one day reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary, and often sends military air and watercraft nearby to assert its claim to the self-governing island.
During her visit to Japan, Harris commented on China's aggression in the South China Sea.
"China is undermining key elements of the international rules-based order. China has challenged the freedom of the seas. China has flexed its military and economic might to coerce and intimidate its neighbors," she said.
"We will continue to fly, sail, and operate undaunted and unafraid wherever and whenever international law allows," Harris added.
Beijing claims most of the South China Sea as its own, putting it in conflict with Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Chinese ships on several occasions this year used water cannons and blocked its rivals’ ships in the disputed territories.