Southeast Asia Strategy Act

IIB 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1632 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations AN ACT To require a strategy for engagement with Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Sep 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1632.RFS H1632 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 HR 1632 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southeast Asia Strat- 2 egy Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 4 Congress finds the following: 5 (1) Southeast Asia is the fulcrum of the Indo- 6 Pacific region, providing both a geographic and mar- 7 itime link between East and South Asia. 8 (2) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations 9 (ASEAN), a regional intergovernmental organiza- 10 tion, remains central to the Indo-Pacific region’s in- 11 stitutional architecture and to United States foreign 12 policy toward the region. 13 (3) The United States has reaffirmed that the 14 security and sovereignty of its Southeast Asian allies 15 and partners, including a strong, independent 16 ASEAN, remain vital to the security, prosperity, and 17 stability of the Indo-Pacific region. 18 (4) The United States has committed to con- 19 tinuing to deepen longstanding alliances and part- 20 nerships with a range of Southeast Asian nations, 21 including by promoting our shared values, democ- 22 racy, human rights, and civil society. 23 (5) Since the end of the Second World War, 24 United States investments in strengthening alliances 25 and partnerships with Southeast Asian nations have 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Sep 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1632.RFS H1632 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 HR 1632 RFS yielded tremendous returns for United States inter- 1 ests, as working with and through these alliances 2 and partnerships have increased the region’s capac- 3 ity and capability to address common challenges. 4 (6) ASEAN member states are critical United 5 States security partners in preventing violent extre- 6 mism and protecting the freedom and openness of 7 the maritime domain and in preventing the traf- 8 ficking of weapons of mass destruction. 9 (7) ASEAN member states have contributed 10 significantly to regional disaster monitoring and 11 management and emergency response through initia- 12 tives such as the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for 13 Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, 14 an inter-governmental organization that facilitates 15 coordination and cooperation among ASEAN mem- 16 ber states and international organizations in times 17 of emergency. 18 (8) According to the 2018 ASEAN Business 19 Outlook Survey, ASEAN member states are vital to 20 the prosperity of the United States economy and ex- 21 ports to ASEAN economies support more than 22 500,000 jobs in the United States. 23 (9) The United States and ASEAN have re- 24 cently celebrated the 40th anniversary of their ties 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Sep 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1632.RFS H1632 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 HR 1632 RFS and established a new strategic partnership that will 1 enhance cooperation across the economic, political- 2 security, and people-to-people pillars of the relation- 3 ship. 4 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 5 It is the policy of the United States to— 6 (1) deepen cooperation with ASEAN and 7 ASEAN member states in the interest of promoting 8 peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific re- 9 gion; 10 (2) affirm the importance of ASEAN centrality 11 and ASEAN-led mechanisms in the evolving institu- 12 tional architecture of the Indo-Pacific region; and 13 (3) establish and communicate a comprehensive 14 strategy toward the Indo-Pacific region that articu- 15 lates— 16 (A) the role and importance of Southeast 17 Asia to the United States; 18 (B) the value of the United States-ASEAN 19 relationship; 20 (C) the mutual interests of all parties; 21 (D) the concrete and material benefits all 22 nations derive from strong United States en- 23 gagement and leadership in Southeast Asia; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Sep 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1632.RFS H1632 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 HR 1632 RFS (E) efforts to forge and maintain ASEAN 1 consensus, especially on key issues of political 2 and security concern to the region, such as the 3 South China Sea. 4 SEC. 4. STRATEGY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SOUTHEAST 5 ASIA AND ASEAN. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 8 in consultation with the heads of other Federal depart- 9 ments and agencies as appropriate, shall develop and sub- 10 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a com- 11 prehensive strategy for engagement with Southeast Asia 12 and ASEAN. 13 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The strategy re- 14 quired by subsection (a) shall include the following: 15 (1) A statement of enduring United States in- 16 terests in Southeast Asia and a description of efforts 17 to bolster the effectiveness of ASEAN. 18 (2) A description of efforts to— 19 (A) deepen and expand Southeast Asian al- 20 liances, partnerships, and multilateral engage- 21 ments, including efforts to expand broad based 22 and inclusive economic growth, security ties, se- 23 curity cooperation and interoperability, eco- 24 nomic connectivity, and expand opportunities 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Sep 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1632.RFS H1632 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 HR 1632 RFS for ASEAN to work with other like-minded 1 partners in the region; and 2 (B) encourage like-minded partners outside 3 of the Indo-Pacific region to engage with 4 ASEAN. 5 (3) A summary of initiatives across the whole 6 of the United States Government to strengthen the 7 United States partnership with Southeast Asian na- 8 tions and ASEAN, including to promote broad based 9 and inclusive economic growth, trade, investment, 10 energy and efforts to combat climate change, public- 11 private partnerships, physical and digital infrastruc- 12 ture development, education, disaster management, 13 public health and economic and political diplomacy 14 in Southeast Asia. 15 (4) A summary of initiatives across the whole 16 of the United States Government to enhance the ca- 17 pacity of Southeast Asian nations with respect to en- 18 forcing international law and multilateral sanctions, 19 and initiatives to cooperate with ASEAN as an insti- 20 tution in these areas. 21 (5) A summary of initiatives across the whole 22 of the United States Government to promote human 23 rights and democracy, to strengthen the rule of law, 24 civil society, and transparent governance, and to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Sep 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1632.RFS H1632 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 HR 1632 RFS protect the integrity of elections from outside influ- 1 ence. 2 (6) A summary of initiatives to promote secu- 3 rity cooperation and security assistance within 4 Southeast Asian nations, including— 5 (A) maritime security and maritime do- 6 main awareness initiatives for protecting the 7 maritime commons and supporting international 8 law and freedom of navigation in the South 9 China Sea; and 10 (B) efforts to combat terrorism, human 11 trafficking, piracy, and illegal fishing, and pro- 12 mote more open, reliable routes for sea lines of 13 communication. 14 (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE- 15 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres- 16 sional committees’’ means— 17 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 18 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep- 19 resentatives; and 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Sep 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1632.RFS H1632 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 HR 1632 RFS (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 1 the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. 2 Passed the House of Representatives September 24, 2019. Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:30 Sep 26, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1632.RFS H1632 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS