VP Harris assures Asian leaders US is ‘here to stay’

By KRUTIKA PATHI
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is assuring Asian leaders “the United States is here to stay” as she pitches Washington as a reliable economic partner committed to the region and its prosperity. Harris told leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Friday that the U.S. is a “proud Pacific power” and has a “vital interest in promoting a region that is open, interconnected, prosperous, secure and resilient.” Harris had postponed her speech after receiving news that North Korea had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed near Japanese waters, convening an emergency meeting of the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Canada in which she slammed the missile test.