The United States has a new ambassador to the Philippines, a career diplomat with 36 years of experience in East Asian affairs including two assignments to China. She also speaks Spanish and Chinese.
US Ambassador MaryKay Loss Carlson arrived in Manila Thursday night, five months after she was appointed by US President Joe Biden.
“I am thrilled to be in the Philippines and honored to represent the United States in this important relationship. With the Philippines, our oldest treaty ally in Asia, we have a long history of shared sacrifice and incredibly close people-to-people ties,” Ambassador Carlson said. “I look forward to working with the new government and our partners to upgrade and modernize our alliance to face new challenges, expand bilateral trade and investment, and promote democratic freedoms and good governance.”
The US Embassy has no ambassador to the Philippines for 18 months, after Ambassador Sung Kim left in October 2020 and re-assigned by then President Donald Trump to Indonesia.Less than 24 hours after her arrival in Manila, Carlson was immediately given an audience in Malacañang and was able to present credentials to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday, three days before Marcos appears before Philippine Congress for his first State of the Nation Address.
“I arrive in Manila inspired by the bond between our great nations and devoted to making it even stronger. I feel especially fortunate to arrive in the early days of your administration,” Ambassador Carlson told President Marcos during the presentation of credentials.
She said she is looking forward to developing “new trade and investment ties” between the Philippines and US. She also would like Manila and Washington to partner on clean energy solutions, protect marine and terrestrial resources, and help tackle the climate crisis. The senior foreign service officer had served as deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Argentina, as well as in India. Her other diplomatic stints as foreign service officer include US diplomatic missions in China, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Mozambique, Kenya and the Dominican Republic.
“Carlson has devoted much of her career, spanning over 36 years, to the East Asia region. This extensive and substantive regional experience, coupled with her management experience and demonstrated ability to lead large interagency teams as well as policy-oriented offices, makes her a well-qualified candidate to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines,” the US State Department said in its submission to US Congress.
Heather Variava, who has been serving as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim since September 2021, will remain in Manila as Deputy Chief of Mission.
“I thank Heather for her remarkable leadership and for the outstanding work she has done to promote our close partnership with the Philippines,” the ambassador said. “I look forward to working closely with her, and with the team at the U.S. Embassy, to further strengthen our ties with the Philippines as enduring friends, partners, and allies.”
Ambassador Carlson arrived with her husband, Aubrey Carlson, a retired U.S. diplomat. Ambassador Carlson’s full biography may be viewed here.