US Invested in Strategy for ‘Free and Open’ Indo-Pacific Region

As part of an effort to bolster ties with Vietnam, the USS Carl Vinson visits Danang on March 5, 2018. LINH PHAM/AFP/Getty Images

The U.S. government’s interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific region is “rooted in the fact that the United States is an Indo-Pacific nation” and deeply invested in the broader region, says Alice G. Wells, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs.

In remarks given at the Foreign Press Center in Washington on Aug. 20, Wells previewed her trip to the Indian Ocean Conference and offered insight on the administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy.

Longstanding Commitment

“The U.S. conducts about $1.4 trillion in two-way trade with the rest of Indo-Pacific, more than any other country in the world, and has provided a cumulative $805 billion in foreign direct investment,” Wells said.