OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 9:50 AM PT – Thursday September 29, 2022
Vice President Kamala Harris begun her visit to Japan on Monday, to attend former Prime Minister Shizo Abe’s funeral. She went in place of President Joe Biden due to scheduling conflicts. During this trip, she also met with senior government officials and civil society leaders in Japan to discuss economic, trade and security interests.
On Wednesday, Harris gave a speech aboard the USS Howard in the Yokosuka Naval Base where she reaffirmed the United State’s goals to deepen its unofficial ties with Taiwan.
The speech followed China’s growing aggressive behavior to coerce and intimidate its neighbors. China raised their aggression further, using Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) visit to Taiwan for an unprecedented show of military force. Although the US will continue to deepen its ties with Taiwan, Harris added that the US does not want a war with China.
“Well, we remain dedicated to the principles that we have long stated, which is that there should not be any unilateral change to the status quo and that we are committed to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” said Harris.
Harris will move to South Korea on Thursday. There, she will reaffirm the United State’s commitment to its allies and she hopes to strengthen the trilateral relationship between the US, Japan and South Korea.