Press Release

Representative Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, today co-chaired a joint House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Subcommittee hearing on Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Co-chairing the hearing alongside Chairman Bera was Representative Joe Courtney (D-CA), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces.

"The United States is a Pacific nation and our economic and strategic interests are closely intertwined with those of the Indo-Pacific region. The Indo-Pacific is also home to some our most important allies and partners, ranging from Japan to Taiwan to the Free Associated States – all of which depend on the ability to move freely by sea across the region," said Chairman Bera. "This is why I have long been concerned about maritime security in the region, specifically China's actions that threaten American commercial and security interests, and that of our allies and friends. The Chinese government has accelerated its aggressive behavior in the Indo-Pacific, including building and fortifying artificial islands in disputed waters, using gray zone tactics to harass commercial and military shipping vessels, and sinking other nation's fishing boats - all of which increase the risk of a military conflict. Congress has an important role to play in providing additional resources to reinforce our values and enhance the credibility of deterrence in the maritime domain. As Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to help strengthen maritime security in the Indo-Pacific."

Expert witnesses included The Honorable Daniel Russel, Vice President, International Security and Diplomacy, Asia Society Policy Institute; Admiral Scott Swift (USN, Ret.), Former Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Ms. Bonnie Glaser, Director, Asia Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States; and Mr. Brent Sadler, Senior Fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technology, The Heritage Foundation.

Click here to watch a recording of the hearing.

Click here to read Chairman Bera's opening statement.