CODEL concludes Asia trip with briefings in Japan, Alaska, and Honolulu

Honolulu — Uifa’atali Amata, who took part in a bipartisan Congressional Delegation (CODEL) in which the five Members of Congress held multiple meetings and visited various sites in Taiwan, Cambodia, and the Philippines, but also received briefings at each stopover in Alaska and Japan, and finally upon landing in Honolulu.

In addition to Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (American Samoa), the delegation was comprised of Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations East Asia, Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Subcommittee; Congressman John Garamendi (CA-03); Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08); and Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47).

 “I appreciate so much the very professional U.S. military flight crew and all the excellent U.S. personnel who hosted us at the embassies, and informed us at each stop along the way,” said Aumua Amata.

“Each nation we visited was welcoming and assisted fulfillment of the goals of the delegation. Every briefing offered different aspects and insights into the broader circumstances of the vast Indo-Pacific region, and how each place we visited fits into the entire network of U.S. strategic partnerships.

“Thank you especially to Senator Markey for inviting me on this thought-provoking trip, and my colleagues in the House, Congressmen Garamendi, Beyer and Lowenthal. We must maintain our many valuable Pacific relationships, preserve trade routes, and wherever needed, make it a priority to encourage human rights and support freedoms of the press and political expression.”