{"id":15334,"date":"2022-07-29T13:26:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T17:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/?post_type=press-releases&p=15334"},"modified":"2022-10-07T13:27:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-07T17:27:13","slug":"sens-ossoff-young-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-strengthen-u-s-national-security-in-indo-pacific-region","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/press-releases\/sens-ossoff-young-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-strengthen-u-s-national-security-in-indo-pacific-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Sens. Ossoff, Young Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen U.S. National Security in Indo-Pacific Region"},"content":{"rendered":"

New bipartisan legislation would advance U.S. diplomatic presence in Indo-Pacific and help counter China\u2019s growing coercion in the region<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Ossoff also pushing to <\/em>strengthen<\/em><\/a> State Department resources in the region in appropriations bill<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Washington, D.C. <\/strong>\u2014 <\/strong>U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is continuing his work to strengthen U.S. national security and counter China\u2019s coercion with strong American diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Sens. Ossoff and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the bipartisan Pacific Islands Embassies Act<\/em> to counter the Chinese government\u2019s growing coercion and influence in the region by opening U.S. embassies in the Republic of Vanuatu, the Republic of Kiribati, and the Kingdom of Tonga to help reassert the U.S. as a diplomatic leader in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This move would enable U.S. diplomats and foreign affairs officials to deepen their relationships in the vital region and ensure their operational and physical security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStrong U.S. diplomacy in the Pacific is essential. We must immediately establish a robust physical diplomatic presence in these strategic island nations,\u201d Sen. Ossoff said. <\/strong>\u201cFrankly, it is malpractice that the United States didn\u2019t take this step a decade and a half ago. Time is of the essence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo confront China\u2019s encroachment in the Pacific, we need to be diplomatically present. Our bill will help establish this vital American voice with key Pacific Island nations, demonstrating our commitment to allies and our leadership in the Indo-Pacific,\u201d said Sen. Young<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pacific Islands Embassies Act<\/em> is co-sponsored by Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Indo-Pacific is a global hub for trade and security, but the Chinese Communist Party has used their power to threaten and bully the international community into compliance,\u201d said Sen. Blackburn.<\/strong> \u201cEstablishing and maintaining a lasting presence in the Pacific Islands based on friendship and shared interests is a priority for the United States \u2013 and scaling up our diplomatic footprint is an important part of doing so. Additionally, countering China\u2019s coercion of our partners in the region is essential to weakening the New Axis of Evil. This legislation strengthens these vital relationships and empowers our partners to stand up to the CCP.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur deep ties with our Pacific Island neighbors are grounded in our shared commitment to upholding the rule of law, respecting human rights, protecting marine resources, and fighting the global climate crisis. We need to strengthen those partnerships, and that starts with a full diplomatic presence in the region,\u201d Sen. Schatz said.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Pacific Islands Embassies Act takes an important step forward in building strong relationships with nations of the Pacific Region,\u201d said Sen. Hirono. <\/strong>\u201cAs the U.S. works to strengthen our diplomatic presence in the Indo-Pacific region, opening embassies in Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Tonga will benefit all of our nations, as well as our global partners and allies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill comes after Sen. Ossoff\u2019s recent push<\/a> to curb China\u2019s presence in the Indo-Pacific by strengthening U.S. State Department resources for the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here<\/a> to read the bipartisan Pacific Islands Embassies Act.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

# # #<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New bipartisan legislation would advance U.S. diplomatic presence in Indo-Pacific and help counter China\u2019s growing coercion in the region Sen. Ossoff also pushing to strengthen State Department resources in the region in appropriations bill Washington, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is continuing his work to strengthen U.S. national security and counter China\u2019s coercion with strong American diplomacy in the […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15334","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/15334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/15334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15336,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/15334\/revisions\/15336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ossoff.senate.gov\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}