Harris calls the United States ‘a global leader’ as Afghanistan unrest overshadows foreign trip

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Vice President Kamala Harris called the United States “a global leader” in Singapore as many foreign powers have expressed doubts about American leadership as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban while the United States rushed its exit from the country.

The vice president made the statements during a joint press conference with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday. The visit is part of her trip to Southeast Asia which is meant to counteract China’s influence in the region.

“The reason I'm here is because the United States is a global leader, and we take that role seriously, understanding that we have many interests and priorities around the world,” Ms Harris said.

The vice president was immediately asked about Afghanistan. Nandita Bose of Reuters pressed the vice president on whether she agreed with President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.

But Ms Harris dodged the question.

“And I think there's going to be plenty of time to analyse what has happened and what has taken place in the context of the withdrawal from Afghanistan,” she said.

Rather, she said the main focus is evacuating as many people as possible.

“And that is our singular focus at this time, understanding that we have a priority in making sure that the people that, in particular, helped America achieve its responsibilities, in terms of our priorities and the reason we went to Afghanistan in the first place, that we have a responsibility and we feel a deep commitment to making sure that folks who helped us are safe,” she said.

Similarly, Mr Lee said the way in which the United States repositions itself in the region, engages with friends and fights terrorism will influence global perceptions of Washington.

“There have been difficult moments. There have also been, over decades, dramatic transformations in Asia, wrought by the benign and constructive influence of the United States as a regional guarantor of security, and support of prosperity,” he said.

Later, the vice president spoke at the USS Tulsa, and particularly touched on the unraveling of Afghanistan.

“I just want to say that we are all grateful to those men and women in uniform, and the embassy staff on the ground for bringing safety to Americans and to the Afghans who work side by side with us, and to other Afghans at risk,” she said.

“And as I know you all know, we send them our thoughts and our prayers and from afar, and close up, we thank you every day for the work that you do."

Ms Harris will travel to Vietnam on Tuesday. The trip to Southeast Asia is the second foreign trip for the vice president, after her first trip to Latin America.