Vice President Kamala Harris asserted that the US must maintain its focus on evacuating Americans and vulnerable Afghans and should not get distracted by questions over what went wrong in the chaotic US exit from Afghanistan.

Speaking at a news conference in Singapore, Ms Harris repeatedly declined to engage when asked what she felt should have been done differently in the withdrawal.

“There’s no question there will be and should be a robust analysis of what has happened, but right now there’s no question that our focus has to be on evacuating American citizens, Afghans who worked with us and vulnerable Afghans, including women and children,” she said.

Ms Harris took questions alongside Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after the two met for about two hours to discuss issues ranging from the Covid-19 response to cybersecurity and supply chain cooperation.

The news conference was dominated by Afghanistan, after the messy US withdrawal sparked concerns about the US’s commitments to its allies globally.

Ms Harris’ visit to Singapore and Vietnam this week is seen as the first real test of the Biden administration’s ability to reassure key allies of its resolve.

Mr Lee offered his country’s support for the US decision to withdraw, however, and said Singapore was “grateful” for the US efforts to combat terrorism in Afghanistan.

He also offered the US the use of the Singapore Air Force’s transport aircraft to help with the evacuation, and said the country is now watching what the US does next.

“What matters is how the US repositions itself in the Asia Pacific, engages the broader region and continues to fight against terrorism, because that will determine the perceptions of the countries of the US′ global priorities and of its strategic intentions,” he said.

Ms Harris’ Southeast Asian trip, which brings her to Singapore and then later to Vietnam this week, is aimed at broadening cooperation with both nations to offer a counterweight to China’s growing influence in the region.

On Monday, the vice president’s office announced a series of new agreements with Singapore aimed at tackling cyberthreats, tackling climate change, addressing the Covid-19 pandemic and alleviating supply chain issues.

On cybersecurity, the treasury and defence departments, as well as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, have each inked a memorandum of understanding with their Singapore counterparts expanding information sharing and training to combat cyberthreats.

The two nations agreed to cooperate more closely to track Covid-19 variants and engage in research on coronavirus treatments.

And the Department of Commerce is joining with the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry to create a partnership focused on strengthening trade throughout a handful of key industries.

The White House announced additional agreements between the two nations fostering cooperation on space exploration and defence issues as well.

The announcements came on Monday after Ms Harris met with Singapore president Halimah Yacob and Mr Lee.

Ms Harris is set to visit the Changi Naval Base on Monday afternoon, where she will speak to American sailors aboard the USS Tulsa, a combat ship.

On Tuesday, Ms Harris will deliver a speech outlining the Biden administration’s vision for the region, and meet with business leaders to discuss supply chain issues.

The trip marks Ms Harris’ second foreign trip in office, she visited Guatemala and Mexico in June, and will be the first time a US vice president has visited Vietnam.