Harris speaks with Morrison; reaffirms strength of US-Aus alliance

US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke over phone with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and discussed opportunities for further bilateral cooperation on global and regional challenges, including those posed by climate change, China and Myanmar.

This was Harris's first phone call with a leader from the Asia Pacific region.

Harris and Morrison also agreed on the importance of working together, alongside other allies and partners, on promoting economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and advancing democratic values globally, the White House said in a readout of the call on Tuesday. They pledged to further US-Australia cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, it said.

During the call, she reaffirmed the strength of the US-Australia alliance.

The vice president and the prime minister discussed opportunities for further cooperation on global and regional challenges, including those posed by climate change, China, Burma, and other regional issues, the White House said.

The Biden administration is facing an assertive China, which is flexing its muscles in the strategic Indo-Pacific and posing a threat to the countries in the region.

The Biden administration has been urging the international community to ramp up pressure on Myanmar's military to restore democracy.

The February 1 coup reversed years of slow progress toward democracy in Myanmar after five decades of military rule. It came the day a newly-elected Parliament was supposed to take office.

Ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party would have been installed for a second five-year term, but instead she was detained along with President Win Myint and other senior officials.

After becoming the vice president, Harris has so far spoken over phone with five global leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo.