Up Close and Personal with Ambassador Sung Y. Kim by Dan Napa
On April 10, 2019, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) of the Philippines held its first general membership meeting (GMM) for 2019 over lunch at the main ballroom of the prestigious Shangri-La at the Fort. For this GMM, AmCham pulled all the stops to have the American ambassador to the Philippines himself, Amb. Sung Y. Kim, as the guest of honor. As expected, the venue was abuzz with anticipation. As early as 11:00 AM, participants have started piling into the room, eagerly waiting for the ambassador to arrive.
As usual, the meeting started with new members being inducted into the chamber. Following this, Mr. Ebb Hinchcliffe announced the upcoming events and initiatives of the chamber. In his opening speech, Mr. Hinchcliffe spoke about the numerous dealings that the business community has had with Ambassador Kim. He spoke highly of him, jokingly quipping that the ambassador ought to file for an extension since he was such a driving force in pursuing good relations between the Philippines and the United States despite the political climate.
Meanwhile, Amb. Kim started his speech by cracking a joke about his imminent departure from his post, stating that his stint in the Philippines has been the most colorful in his long history as a career diplomat for the United States. He mentioned that the overall thrust of the U.S. embassy and all its sub-sectors is to foster good diplomatic relations with the Philippines, citing that they took great strides to open dialogues and build relationships with key figures in the Duterte administration. The ambassador keenly met with cabinet members to voice out the concerns of the business community, as well as to air the side of the U.S. on various issues from a diplomatic standpoint.
Additionally, the U.S. has strengthened its new Development Finance Corporation to USD 60 billion. This marks a key point in showing confidence in the economic partnership between the two nations. The hope is that U.S. companies can also take part in the “Build, Build, Build” initiative in order to foster knowledge and best practice sharing between the two nations (the U.S. has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of infrastructure and public works). Amb. Kim then urged American companies to keep their CSR activities and make these activities known to the general public since it could be a good catalyst for improving U.S.-Philippine relations. Unfortunately, he said, a lot of these initiatives usually go under the radar.
Lastly, the ambassador assured the audience that the U.S. is still committed to honoring the bilateral defense treaty with the Philippines and promises to uphold the rule of UNCLOS ( United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) with regard to the West Philippine Sea issue versus China. Along with the current heated climate, tension is brewing as China continues to make aggressive moves in the disputed territories. Regardless of the situation, the U.S. is committed to uphold the agreement and will come to the Philippines’ aid at the drop of a needle.
Overall, the event was a chance for Amb. Kim to let his hair down and be more frank with his answers. At the risk of getting into too much detail, he wrapped up the afternoon by assuring the audience that the U.S. Embassy will be business-as-usual, regardless of whoever takes over his post by the end of the year.
We all wish the ambassador the best of luck in his future assignment!
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About the author:
Dan is a Business Management graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University. His interests are shipping, sports, radio, game development, and animation industries. When he’s not working, Dan can be seen spending time on his bike. He loves riding anything with two wheels and often goes on adventures around the city or in the neighboring mountains surrounding Manila. His love for bikes is only surpassed by his love for food; so far, food has been winning.
