Kamala Harris says Beijing ‘coerces and intimidates’ in South China Sea

US Vice President Kamala Harris accuses Beijing of coercion and intimidation in the disputed South China Sea during a speech in Singapore.

Harris' comments come as the White House faces growing questions about its reliability as an international partner in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“In the South China Sea, we know that Beijing continues to coerce, to intimidate and to make claims to the vast majority of the South China Sea,” Ms Harris said.

The Vice President said that China’s “unlawful claims” had continued “to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations.”