South Korea Denies U.S. Intelligence Restrictions Over North Korea Nuclear Site Disclosure 
Trump and IRS in Settlement Talks Over $10 Billion Tax Return Leak Lawsuit 
Trump Nominates Dr. Erica Schwartz as New CDC Director 
China Navigates Diplomatic Tightrope Between Iran Peace Efforts and Trump Summit 
North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles Amid Growing Nuclear Ambitions 
Peru Election 2025: Vote Count Delays Spark Calls to Remove Electoral Chief 
UNICEF Condemns Killing of Aid Workers Delivering Water in Gaza 
Iran's Internal Power Struggle Threatens Strait of Hormuz Stability 
North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Eastward Amid Rising Global Tensions 
House Republicans Near Deal on FISA Extension with Limited Reforms 
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons to Exit Federal Government at End of May 
U.S. and Philippines to Build 4,000-Acre Tech Hub Under Pax Silica Initiative 
Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz Amid Fragile Ceasefire and Ongoing Nuclear Tensions 
Anthropic CEO Meets Trump Officials to Discuss Powerful New AI Model Mythos 
IMF and World Bank Resume Ties with Venezuela, Opening Door to Billions in Funding 
US Vice President Kamala Harris will be visiting the Philippine island of Palawan in the coming week. Harris’s visit would make her the highest-ranking US official to visit the island chain in the midst of a long-running dispute over the South China Sea.
A Biden administration official said Tuesday that Harris would be visiting Palawan, an island chain that is part of the Philippines, next week. Harris would be the highest-ranking US official to visit the islands that are adjacent to the contested Spratly islands, where China has dredged the sea floor to build artificial islands near the Spratlys.
China claims to have control over the majority of the South China Sea, citing historical maps, angering the surrounding countries that also have claims over parts of the waters. However, a 2016 tribunal ruled against Beijing, citing that it does not have any basis to claim the body of water under international law. The ruling in favor of the Philippines has yet to be implemented.
With Harris visiting the Philippine islands, it may be seen as a rebuke to Beijing, three days after President Joe Biden met in person with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The administration official said Harris is expected to meet with “residents, civil society leaders, and representatives of the Philippine Coast Guard.”
The visit is also part of Washington’s effort to reaffirm its “commitment to stand with our Philippine ally in upholding the rules-based international maritime order in the South China Sea, supporting maritime livelihoods, and countering illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing,” the official said.
The Philippines is a defensive ally of the United States, and Manila announced on the same day that Washington would be spending $66.5 million to start building training and warehouse facilities at three of its military bases.
The Philippine ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel Romualdez, told Reuters Thursday that Harris will also be meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with the issue of Taiwan on the agenda. Romualdez added that Manila wants to play a role in a peaceful co-existence between Washington and Beijing.
Romualdez also said that Harris would likely give Marcos a “fairly good briefing” on the three-hour meeting between Biden and Xi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
