NORWICH, CT – On July 3 Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) issued the following statement upon return from the bipartisan Congressional Delegation to Asia, including an in-person meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. Read a joint statement from Members of the Congressional Delegation here.
“A bipartisan delegation, led by the US House Armed Services Committee, just returned from a nine-day trip where we saw first-hand the vital contribution US military service members from all branches, American foreign service personnel, and the US industrial base are making every day to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. We traversed the ‘first island chain’ where key allies – Japan, the Philippines, and the self-ruling democratic people of Taiwan—are being pressurized day in and day out at sea, in the air, and in cyber space by a Chinese regime that blatantly and repeatedly violates international law and norms. At every stop, we heard from our allies a clear-eyed determination to work together to responsibly safeguard freedom of navigation, air space, and self-rule that has benefited all – including China – in the 78 years since the end of World War II.
“Lastly, it was an honor to meet Connecticut natives serving in the Navy, Marine Corps and the State Department skillfully doing their part to protect the peace, and to hear the high praise from all quarters for Connecticut-made jet engines, submarines, and helicopters that are the backbone of the joint patrols and exercises conducted with our friends in the region.”
###
Defense & National SecuritySeapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee
Original source can be found here.
