Select Committee Leads High-Level Asia-Pacific CODEL Amid Rising Strategic Tensions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led a bipartisan congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen vital U.S. economic and security partnerships.
The delegation visited the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore to engage with senior government leaders, U.S. diplomatic and military personnel, business executives, and regional experts.
In the Philippines, the delegation flew aboard a P-8 surveillance aircraft to investigate China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea and met with U.S. military personnel working with their Filipino counterparts to strengthen the Philippines’ self-defense capabilities. The delegation also met with high-level Philippines defense and foreign affairs officials.
In Vietnam, the delegation met with top Vietnamese leaders, including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, to explore opportunities for economic and strategic cooperation.
The trip concluded in Singapore with participation in the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, where members held bilateral meetings with U.S. military officials and regional and global counterparts, including defense ministers from Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and South Korea. The delegation also met with Singapore’s newly elected Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as well as its foreign and defense ministers.
This mission underscores the Select Committee’s commitment to advancing U.S. interests and strengthening alliances in response to the People’s Republic of China’s growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.