[firstname],
I just got back from a congressional delegation (CODEL) trip with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (TX-10) and a bipartisan group of my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee. We spent ten days traveling across the Indo-Pacific, meeting with key allies and partners in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan as well as visiting our bases in Hawaii and Guam.
One of the first stops on our trip was Japan. My colleagues and I had the privilege of meeting with Prime Minister Kishida as well as the Deputy Cabinet Minister and members of the Diet - Japan’s legislature - including Councilor Hirofumi Nakasone, who chairs the Diet’s Inter-Parliamentary group. We also stopped to see the cherry blossoms in Ueno Park, which were a reminder of the cherry blossoms in DC that had been gifted to us by Japan in the early 20th century. You can find some of the pictures of our stop in Japan here:
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In South Korea, we met with Foreign Minister Park Jin, the Speaker of the National Assembly, and President Yoon Suk-yeol. We also toured Samsung and visited the DMZ. As North Korea draws increasingly closer to other tyrants in the region such as China and Russia and continues to threaten its southern neighbor, American interests, and the stability of the free world, we must remain firm and committed to preserving the peace our Korean War veterans forged through sacrifice alongside our South Korean allies 70 years ago. I’m looking forward to welcoming President Yoon to the United States later this month for a state dinner and a speech before a joint session of Congress.
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Rep. Lawler, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul, and fellow Committee members in South Korea during their bipartisan delegation visit.
Two days after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with Speaker McCarthy and another congressional delegation in California, my colleagues and I had the opportunity to meet with her in Taiwan. We also met with Vice President Lai Ching-te, the Speaker of Taiwan’s Parliament You Si-kun, and other Taiwanese cabinet and defense officials. As China escalates its threats against Taiwan, my colleagues and I are standing firm. The House has sent a strong message to China not only through our meetings this week in the Indo-Pacific, but also through our legislative agenda. We have passed a number of bills in our first 100 days bolstering our strategic position against China and ensuring our ability to respond quickly to aggression against Taiwan and other allies in the region. You can find a few pictures from our Taiwan visit below:
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One of my colleagues on the visit, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (D-PA), joined me for a joint interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins while we were in Taiwan. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss our strong bipartisan commitment to supporting Taiwan and strengthening our strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. If you haven’t had a chance to watch that interview, I encourage you to check it out here:
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I also had the opportunity to sit down with Fox and Friends the next day and discuss our delegation’s visit with President Tsai:
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One of my favorite privileges as a member of Congress is thanking our men and women in uniform for their service and sacrifice to our country. While in Japan, we visited the Seventh Fleet - the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. Navy fleets. In an increasingly volatile corner of the world, the Seventh Fleet plays a critical role working alongside our Pacific partners. In Guam, we had the chance to speak with servicemen and servicewomen stationed at Andersen Air Force Base. While in Hawaii, we visited troops stationed at Hickman Air Force Base and the Camp H. M. Smith Marine Corps installment, headquarters of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). We met with the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) to get a full briefing on the Pacific, our allies, and our adversaries. We also had a very sobering visit to the USS Arizona Memorial. It was an opportunity to reflect on one of the worst tragedies and remember all those who lost their lives on the infamous date in history.
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Rep. Lawler and Congressional Leaders in Hawaii and Guam.
The repeated provocations by China and North Korea have created a unique opportunity for America to strengthen our relationship with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, India, and Taiwan — an opportunity we cannot afford to squander. That’s why my colleagues and I met with our allies, partners, and overseas forces across the Indo-Pacific over the past ten days. After our many meeting with heads of state, foreign ministers, defense officials, and legislators, as well as our own military leaders in the Indo-Pacific Command, the Seventh Fleet, and the DMZ, it is even more clear to me that the United States and our allies in the region must implement a clear strategy of deterrence against China, Russia, and North Korea and create stronger economic and trade relations amongst ourselves. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure America’s continued, bipartisan leadership on these crucial foreign policy objectives.
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Should you have any questions about my work on these and other issues - or if there is anything my staff and I can do to assist you or your family, please don’t hesitate to reach out at 845-201-2060 or through my website at Lawler.house.gov. Also, you can keep up with the latest news on my efforts by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram - and by opting in to periodic updates from my office by CLICKING HERE.
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Michael V. Lawler Member of Congress New York, 17th District
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