The American Chamber of Commerce Coral Sea (AmCham) hosted U.S. Congressman Ed Case of Hawaii for a roundtable on Wednesday, 19 October 2022.
Based in Papua New Guinea, the AmCham was launched earlier this year to promote sustainable economic growth, foreign investment, and greater opportunities for U.S. and Pacific companies in the Coral Sea region.
Following last month’s U.S.-Pacific Island Country Summit hosted by the Biden Administration, the AmCham discussed with Congressman Case the challenges and opportunities for increasing private sector ties between the countries of the Coral Sea and the U.S., especially Hawaii.
They explored Congress’ role in strengthening U.S. commitment to the Pacific, and ways to partner and create synergies to augment AmCham’s efforts. In his welcoming remarks, AmCham Coral Sea Vice President Peter Burnie (PwC Papua New Guinea) shared that AmCham’s goal of enhanced partnership has multiple facets, one that provides for innovation, inclusion, diversity, trust, transparency and integrity, and all with commercial relationships at its centre.
“We recognize the incredible importance of the US government involvement in the region. Our connection to the US is our differentiator from other business organisations and is the key to our success. Our role and goal as AmCham is to seek to build on and harness this reengagement at a governmental level and relate it back to a commercial sector and commercial arrangements.
We believe the time is right.” “I deeply appreciated discussing with AmCham Coral Sea how we can all seize the moment following President Biden’s and Congress’ landmark meetings with Pacific Islands leaders in Washington, D.C. last month,” said U.S. Congressman Ed Case (Hawai’i).
“Our joint Declaration on U.S.-Pacific Partnership and whole range of related initiatives throughout our Pacific demonstrate the United States’ increased commitment to working with our partners toward full realization of economic potential and opportunities, all toward the mutual strengthening of our countries and shared values.
I’m especially excited at the enhanced role my Hawai’i can and wants to play in facilitating this next chapter in the Pacific Century.”