Ranking Member Courtney’s Opening Remarks for House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Hearing on the South China Sea (As prepared for delivery)

Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for testifying before this subcommittee today. I look forward to your candid remarks, and we can use this opportunity to take a hard look at the difficult choice our country faces in this critical region of the world.

This subcommittee has met several times over the last year to discuss the unique challenges the South China Sea poses for U.S. foreign policy and power projection. Given the importance of this region, not just to our allies, but to U.S. interests and the global economy, our attention to developments there has not waned – and should remain a top priority for our government. Our military, and in particular the Navy, has played a leading role in pressing our nation’s interest in the region. These include military-to-military engagement with China and others, building maritime capacity with our partners, freedom of navigation operations, and rebalance of our force structure to the Pacific.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration’s July ruling on China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea was a landmark decision for the region, and a very promising development for U.S. interests and those of our partners. While I believe the Court got the decision right in this case, I remain deeply concerned that the United States was relegated to watching these proceeding from the outside, given our lack of approval of U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Moving ahead, it is clear that the United States needs to work on all levels to engage our interests in the region. One of those areas is the ratification of UNCLOS. Countless military leaders, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson, and PACOM Commander Admiral Harry Harris have all publicly stated their belief that the U.S. must ascribe to the same rule book that we expect other countries to follow. Presidents of both parties have supported ratification of UNCLOS. I firmly believe that supporting this agreement is in the best interest of our nation, and would provide a powerful sign that we are joining both competitors and partners in the same set of rules moving forward.

That said, UNCLOS alone will not resolve the various and complex challenges we face in the region. The arbitration ruling, combined with the impending transition to a new administration here at home, makes this a critical time for our interests in the South China Sea. More than ever, we need to be vigilant for any efforts to further destabilize the situation in the region, and that is why sessions like this are so important. Thank you in advance to our witnesses for your experience and guidance on this issue.

With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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