US VP Harris announces $20 million new clean energy funding for Mekong region

BANGKOK (Reuters) - U.S Vice President Kamala Harris announced $20 million in new funding for clean energy projects in the Mekong region, during the last day of her tour of Thailand on Sunday following a regional summit.

She spoke to civil society and business leaders in Bangkok after the close of a meeting of the 21-member APEC bloc a day earlier.

"Bold climate action is not only necessary to protect the people of our planet and our natural resources, but it is also powerful driver of economic growth," she said.

In an earlier news release, she said the administration would request funding from Congress for the Japan-U.S.-Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP), through which the two countries partner with regional nations to promote sustainable energy.

"In particular we know that the climate crisis presents a real threat to the communities who depend on the Mekong River. In Thailand, in Vietnam, Laos."

(Reporting by Poppy McPherson; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

By Poppy McPherson