Singapore – After completing their successful official visit to Taiwan, U.S. Senators Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Chris Coons (D-Del.), plan to meet with a number of defense and foreign affairs officials representing several of our partners in the Indo-Pacific region to discuss ways to increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including strengthening our cultural, economic and military partnerships across the region.
“I’m proud to join this bipartisan delegation in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue to strengthen the partnership between the U.S. and our Indo-Pacific allies,” said Senator Butler. “Our engagements during this trip serve to address shared challenges, enhance regional stability, and promote economic growth.”
“I’ve always believed that if America wants to remain a global leader, we have to show up and support our partners and allies—and that means we must continue to lead in the Indo-Pacific,” said Senator Duckworth. “The United States has long been a major Pacific power but, if we abandon our Indo-Pacific partners, we’d be leaving a vacuum that the PRC both can—and likely will—take advantage of, making it harder for America to compete with China and weakening our standing on the global stage all while giving our adversaries and competitors an easy path to overtaking us. So I’m proud to lead this bipartisan delegation to this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, where Senator Sullivan and our entire delegation will be working to strengthen our relationships with several of our Indo-Pacific partners and send a strong message to our allies—and our competitors—that the United States is here for the long haul.”
“This annual meeting with defense and foreign ministers throughout the Indo-Pacific is a critical opportunity to deepen America’s alliances, particularly as the threat from the Chinese Communist Party continues to grow and threaten countries in the region,” said Senator Sullivan. “The United States is an ally rich nation while China is ally poor. This is a critical advantage we have over China and other dictatorships around the world that we will work to strengthen at this year’s meetings in Singapore.”
“Our bipartisan delegation’s visit to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore is an opportunity to engage with key regional players and discuss how we can strengthen our strategic partnerships, enhance security cooperation, and continue to support U.S. allies across Asia,” said Senator Coons. “I look forward to a productive visit that reinforces America’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific and bolsters our already strong relationships in the region and beyond.”
While in Singapore, the Delegation intends to meet with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, UK Minister of State for Indo-Pacific, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Republic of Korea Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Thailand Minister of Defence Dr. Sutin Klungsang, Japan Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos and more.
Along with Duckworth and Coons, Senator Butler also intends to meet with Singapore Minister of Defence NG Eng Hen, Indonesia President-elect and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Marles and more.
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