March 15 (Reuters) – Asia-Pacific allies agreed to $57 billion in 22 deals with American companies during this weekend’s Indo-Pacific Energy Security Forum in Tokyo, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on Sunday.
In an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Burgum also said Japan is interested in buying more U.S. oil.
The total value of investments was revised up from $56 billion to $57 billion after an additional deal was finalized following the close of the conference, Burgum said.
Burgum said the forum underscored the “need to sell energy to our friends and allies so they are not forced to rely on adversaries.”
He also noted that Japan is helping lead the coalition of nations to put more oil supply in the market.
“From a Japan standpoint, when they’re dependent on oil coming out of the Strait, that’s a great indication of their partnership with the United States and a great indication of their leadership on the world stage to jump in and say they’re going to release a significant portion of their reserves,” Burgum said.
(Reporting by Gertrude Chavez and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Sergio Non and Bill Berkrot)