Shawdesh desk:

US Vice President Kamala Harris has hit out at China during a speech made in Singapore on the first leg of a South East Asian tour.

Harris accused Beijing of coercion and intimidation in the South China Sea, which has been a regional flashpoint for years, BBC reported.

She said the US would “stand with our allies in the face of threats”.

Harris’ trip is seen as an attempt to reaffirm US commitment to the region.

Her speech which touched on a number of other issues, also mentioned the US pull-out from Afghanistan, where she insisted the decision was “courageous and right”.

On China, Ms Harris criticised its claims “to the vast majority of the South China Sea,” which she said were based on intimidation and coercion.

“These unlawful claims have been rejected by the 2016 arbitral tribunal decision and Beijing’s actions continue to undermine the rules-based order and threaten the sovereignty of nations,” she said.