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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 311 Engrossed in House (EH)]

<DOC>
H. Res. 311

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                    September 27, 2017.
Whereas on September 10, 1977, the United States and the Association of 
        Southeast Asian Nations (in this resolution referred to as ``ASEAN'') 
        established dialogue relations, with 2017 marking the 40th anniversary 
        of United States-ASEAN relations;
Whereas on August 8, 2017, ASEAN will celebrate 50 years of regional cooperation 
        towards greater stability, peace, and prosperity in Southeast Asia;
Whereas on April 29, 2008, the United States was the first non-ASEAN country to 
        appoint an ambassador to ASEAN and the United States became the first 
        dialogue partner to establish a permanent mission to ASEAN in 2010;
Whereas the United States committed in 2009 to hold an annual United States-
        ASEAN Leaders' Meeting, and upgraded the commitment in 2012 to an annual 
        United States-ASEAN Summit;
Whereas on April 20, 2017, Vice President Mike Pence met with the ASEAN 
        Secretary General and ASEAN Permanent Representatives in Jakarta, 
        Indonesia, and stated that the United States-ASEAN relationship 
        ``without a doubt has benefitted both ASEAN and America--diplomatically, 
        economically, and from the standpoint of national security'';
Whereas on February 16, 2016, at the Sunnylands Summit in California, the United 
        States and ASEAN reaffirmed their shared commitment to maintain peace, 
        security, and stability throughout the region;
Whereas in 2013 ASEAN, as a whole, was the seventh-largest economy in the world 
        with an annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $2.4 trillion, and is the 
        United States' fourth-largest export market with total exports reaching 
        $102 billion in 2015;
Whereas the United States and ASEAN have strong economic ties, as the United 
        States is the single largest investor in ASEAN with accumulated United 
        States foreign direct investment totaling almost $226 billion as of 
        2014, and economic relations with ASEAN supporting more than 500,000 
        jobs in the United States;
Whereas the United States-ASEAN partnership is vital to the security interests 
        of the United States, as both the United States and the members of ASEAN 
        have a shared common interest in a peaceful resolution of the South 
        China Sea disputes and achieving a denuclearized North Korea;
Whereas on November 4, 2002, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the 
        South China Sea was signed by all members of ASEAN and the People's 
        Republic of China, committing all parties to ``exercise self-restraint 
        in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes 
        and affect peace and stability'';
Whereas ASEAN is a partner to the United States on key transnational challenges, 
        such as terrorism, violent extremism, environmental degradation, energy, 
        infectious diseases, disarmament, proliferation of weapons of mass 
        destruction, cybersecurity, trafficking in persons, illicit trafficking 
        of wildlife and timber, and illegal, unregulated, and unreported 
        fishing; and
Whereas the 2016 East Asia Summit in Vientiane adopted a statement on 
        nonproliferation that reaffirmed the United States, ASEAN, and other 
        Dialogue Partners' support for efforts at the national, regional, and 
        international level to promote nuclear disarmament, nuclear 
        nonproliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and reiterated 
        the importance of nuclear security to combating nuclear terrorism: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports and affirms the elevation of the United States-ASEAN 
        relationship to a strategic partnership, and reaffirms the United States 
        commitment to promoting a rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific and 
        economic growth, peace, human rights and stability in Southeast Asia;
            (2) recognizes the value of ASEAN working with economic, political, 
        and security partners, such as Australia, Canada, the European Union, 
        India, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan 
        both inside and outside of Asia, to both strengthen existing initiatives 
        such as the United States-ASEAN Connect and to develop new initiatives 
        that address mutual strategic concerns;
            (3) encourages the enhancement of economic engagement between the 
        United States and ASEAN through the elimination of trade barriers;
            (4) supports cooperation with ASEAN to implement practical counter-
        terrorism and countering violent extremism measures, including efforts 
        to counter homegrown radicalization and stem foreign fighter travel;
            (5) supports efforts by ASEAN member states and other regional 
        states, including the People's Republic of China, to address maritime 
        and territorial disputes in a constructive manner and to pursue claims, 
        through diplomacy and the use of legitimate regional and international 
        arbitration mechanisms, consistent with international law, including 
        through the adoption of a code of conduct in the South China Sea to 
        further promote peace and stability in the region;
            (6) urges all parties to maritime and territorial disputes in the 
        Asia-Pacific region to--
                    (A) exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities 
                that would undermine stability or escalate disputes through the 
                use of coercion, intimidation, or military force; and
                    (B) refrain from efforts to militarize uninhabited islands, 
                reefs, shoals, and other features, through actions including the 
                construction of new garrisons and facilities, and the relocation 
                of additional military personnel, materiel, or equipment; and
            (7) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to continue joint 
        efforts with ASEAN to halt human smuggling and trafficking in persons 
        and urges ASEAN to make increased efforts to create and strengthen 
        regional mechanisms to provide assistance and support to refugees and 
        migrants.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.
```