US Senator Webb to make rare Myanmar visit

Jim Webb

WASHINGTON — Democratic US Senator Jim Webb will travel to Myanmar over the next two weeks, becoming the first US lawmaker to visit the country in more than 10 years, his office announced on Thursday.

Webb -- a Vietnam war veteran who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific affairs -- leaves Sunday and will also visit Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia over a two-week span.

The Virginia lawmaker, whose precise itinerary was not disclosed, aims "to explore opportunities to advance US interests in Burma and the region," his office said in a statement. The United States refers to Myanmar as Burma.

At his stops outside Myanmar, Webb will meet with "government representatives and industry leaders," his office said in a statement.

Webb's panel oversees US relations with countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Rim, and Oceana as well as with organizations like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Webb served as a Marine in the Vietnam war and later served as assistant secretary of defense and secretary of the navy.

On July 15, he held a hearing on July 15 to discuss China's role in Asian maritime territorial disputes, saying he understood the need to stay out of Asia's sometimes emotionally charged territorial disputes but worried that the lack of US position may embolden China.

"We don't discuss it enough here in the United States -- we are the only guarantor there to provide a credible umbrella under which those other countries in the region can successfully grow their economies without intimidation," said Webb.

Webb also openly worried that China was quickly closing the gap with the United States in seapower.

Webb said that if the US is to remain a Pacific power, leaders must choose to make the navy a priority.

"The United States should maintain the quality and strength of its seapower -- if not improve it," he said.