VISITING United States Vice-President Joe Biden, in a speech underscoring the importance of peace and prosperity in the Asia Pacific to the future of the US, said America is "all in" in its rebalance strategy and "will remain a resident Pacific power".

The US announced in late 2011 that it would be shifting more military and diplomatic resources to the Asia Pacific, in a bid to recalibrate its priorities after two costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Speaking at the Pratt and Whitney aircraft engine overhaul facility in Changi on Saturday morning, Mr Biden urged emerging economies to move away from protectionist policies and to integrate more deeply in the region.

He also repeated a call for China and Asean to adopt a code of conduct to manage their territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

"All parties involved should be working quickly to a substantive code" at the upcoming East Asia Summit in October, Mr Biden said on the last day of his visit to Singapore.

He arrived on Thursday night, and met several top Singapore leaders on Friday, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.