President Joe Biden escorts Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to their trilateral summit at the White House in Washington, April 11, 2024.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Office of the American Samoa Delegate) — U.S. Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata released the following statement in response to the U.S.-Japan-Philippines Summit.
“I’m encouraged by the efforts of the U.S.-Japan-Philippines Summit, because U.S. commitment to the Pacific region is of utmost importance. The Pacific Islands take note of U.S. and allied involvement for the stability of the region. Japan is a longtime economic strong point in the Indo-Pacific and a key ally in a defensive role. The Philippines are in a strategic location, a valuable trade partner, and have additional growth potential. The trilateral cooperation and economic development partnerships for the Philippines announced with the U.S. and Japan will play a role in the region-wide future. I’ve been welcomed to both countries in the last few years, and met with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and others leaders. In American Samoa, I know we have some Filipino friends, including nurses, among us who will welcome good news for their homeland.”
In Congress, Aumua Amata serves as vice chair of the Indo-Pacific Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. She served as chair of the Natural Resources Committee’s Task Force on the Indo-Pacific, which aided Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman in the 20-year Compacts of Free Association legislation. She also is a co-chair of the Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus.
