February 28, 2023

Duckworth Returns from Asia, Visit Focused on Expanding Investments, Strengthening Ties and Bolstering Alliances

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations (SFRC) and Armed Services (SASC) Committees, led a trip to Japan and Indonesia last week as part of her continuing efforts to strengthen ties and reinforce support between allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region and the United States. This was her first trip abroad as a member of SFRC, and on her visit, Duckworth met with government, trade and business leaders, including Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders while in Indonesia, to reinforce U.S. partnership throughout the entire region and find opportunities to increase cooperation in areas of mutual interest, such as countering climate change, increasing energy security, boosting economic ties in agriculture, manufacturing and technology and ensuring regional stability.

“As part of my long-standing support for growing our nation’s ties in the Indo-Pacific region, I was pleased to travel to Japan and Indonesia last week,” said Duckworth. “Throughout both visits, I had positive and promising conversations with leaders across the spectrum, and I look forward to seeing what we can do together to strengthen and build partnerships in areas of shared interest, like manufacturing and energy security. In my roles on Foreign Relations and Armed Services, I will continue to find ways to work with our strong ally, Japan, as well as with Indonesia and ASEAN to the benefit of the whole Indo-Pacific region.”

On her trip to Japan, Duckworth said: “Our relationship with Japan continues to grow stronger and stronger, and the conversations I had in Tokyo about mutually beneficial economic opportunities for our two nations and our united front against Russia’s Vladimir Putin demonstrate the enduring power of our alliance.”

After visiting Indonesia, Duckworth said: “A key priority of my visit to Indonesia was to help reaffirm U.S. support for ASEAN, which plays a critical role in keeping this region as strong as it can be diplomatically, economically, culturally and more.”

Duckworth is Chair of the SFRC Subcommittee with jurisdiction over global economic, energy and environmental policy. She served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring from military service in 2014 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and is an Iraq War Veteran and Purple Heart recipient. She was among the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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