(The Gazette) PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines (Reuters) -Washington will stand by the Philippines in the face of intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Tuesday while visiting the Palawan island in the disputed waters.

Aboard a Philippine coastguard vessel docked in the Puerto Princesa bay, Harris said the United States and the broader international community “have a profound stake in the future of this region”.

Harris’ Palawan stop was part of a three-day visit to one of the United States’ oldest security allies in Asia, which is also central to its bid to counter China’s increasingly assertive policies in the South China Sea and towards Taiwan.

“We must stand up for principles such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, unimpeded lawful commerce, the peaceful resolution of disputes, and the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, and throughout the Indo-Pacific,” she said in a speech.