I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7962 

To advance United States long-term trade competitiveness and economic 

leadership in the Indo-Pacific region. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 11, 2024 

Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia (for herself, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. SMITH of Nebraska, Mr. BEYER, Mr. LAHOOD, and Mr. BERA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To advance United States long-term trade competitiveness 

and economic leadership in the Indo-Pacific region. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States Trade 

5 Leadership in the Indo-Pacific Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The United States is an Indo-Pacific power. 

9 (2) The Indo-Pacific region, spanning from our 

10 Pacific Coastline to the Indian Ocean, is home to 


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1 over half the world’s people, including nearly 60 per2 cent of youth, and is at the center of the 21st-cen3 tury global economy, accounting for 60 percent of 

4 global gross domestic product and two-thirds of the 

5 world’s economic growth in 2022. 

6 (3) The Indo-Pacific region also includes some 

7 of America’s closest military allies and partners, sev8 eral of the world’s largest militaries, and 5 nations 

9 allied with the United States through mutual de10 fense treaties. The region also contains strategic ri11 vals with growing military capabilities, in particular 

12 the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Our partners 

13 are critical for responding to potential threats in the 

14 region, maintaining credible deterrence, and for fos15 tering peace. 

16 (4) There is broad bipartisan agreement that 

17 the United States must have a strong and durable 

18 economic strategy in the Indo-Pacific to advance our 

19 commercial, geostrategic, and national security inter20 ests and support our allies and partners in the re21 gion. 

22 (5) This is especially true and increasingly ur23 gent in the face of heightened aggression and pres24 sure from the PRC, which seeks to expand its influ25 ence by actively pursuing trade agreements with key 


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1 partners in the Indo-Pacific that establish pref2 erential treatment for goods and services, deepen 

3 supply chain integration, and establish rules based 

4 on the PRC’s state-led authoritarian economic model 

5 that undercut America’s workers, businesses, and 

6 economic security. 

7 (6) For decades, the United States has sought 

8 to persuade the PRC to eliminate harmful trade 

9 practices and act responsibly within the global rules10 based trading system. Unfortunately, the PRC has 

11 not substantially changed its behavior and has in12 stead used forced labor, subsidies and overproduc13 tion, intellectual property theft and the forced trans14 fer of technology, authoritarian digital governance 

15 policies, economic coercion, and other unfair prac16 tices to advance an economic model that undermines 

17 human rights, American industries and workers, and 

18 market-based economies around the world. 

19 (7) The PRC is now actively seeking to increase 

20 trade ties in the Indo-Pacific region as a means to 

21 increase its economic influence and increase supply 

22 chain dependency on the PRC. One of the most 

23 prominent examples of the PRC’s growing economic 

24 influence in the Indo-Pacific region is the Regional 

25 Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), 


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1 which entered into force in January 2022. RCEP is 

2 now the largest trade agreement in the world, en3 compassing 15 countries that account for 30 percent 

4 of the global economy. This agreement will increas5 ingly put the United States at a competitive dis6 advantage as the economies of the PRC, Australia, 

7 Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, 

8 Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, 

9 Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam grow more inte10 grated. 

11 (8) The PRC is also actively negotiating numer12 ous other regional and bilateral trade agreements 

13 throughout the region and is attempting to accede to 

14 the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for 

15 Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as well as the 

16 Digital Economic Partnership Agreement (DEPA). 

17 (9) The PRC’s aggressive assertion of its eco18 nomic interests in the Indo-Pacific through the use 

19 of trade agreements underscores the need for the 

20 United States to provide a meaningful and credible 

21 alternative to achieve our economic and national se22 curity goals. 

23 (10) American workers and businesses also face 

24 competitive pressures as other countries in the re25 gion pursue regional rules and preferential trade 


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1 agreements without the participation of the United 

2 States. There are now more than 200 preferential 

3 trade agreements in force with at least one party 

4 from the region and over 100 more are under nego5 tiation or pending ratification. 

6 (11) Recognizing this void in American leader7 ship, the Biden administration launched negotiations 

8 with Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Re9 public of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Phil10 ippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (with Fiji 

11 joining shortly thereafter) on the Indo-Pacific Eco12 nomic Framework (IPEF) in 2022, with the aim of 

13 deepening trade ties, strengthening supply chain re14 siliency, accelerating the development of climate in15 frastructure, and countering corruption. 

16 (12) In November 2023, IPEF partners signed 

17 an agreement on supply chain resiliency and an18 nounced the substantial conclusion of negotiations 

19 on several additional agreements but have not final20 ized an agreement that includes commitments on 

21 trade. The Biden Administration has not sought to 

22 consult with Congress on the IPEF pillars. 

23 (13) To inform future policymaking, Congress 

24 should work with the administration in a bipartisan 

25 manner to examine current United States economic 


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1 policy toward the Indo-Pacific, the impacts of re2 gional trade agreements on American competitive3 ness, and policies to advance United States objec4 tives in the region. 

5 (14) Through a more comprehensive trade and 

6 economic strategy toward the Indo-Pacific region, 

7 the United States could exert greater leverage to im8 prove labor rights and help level the playing field for 

9 American workers, enhance environmental stand10 ards, counter non-market economies and 

11 authoritarianism, construct more resilient supply 

12 chains, better meet the needs of our allies and part13 ners, and grow our economy by addressing barriers 

14 to trade for American products. 

15 SEC. 3. INVESTIGATION OF IMPACT OF INDO-PACIFIC RE16 GIONAL AGREEMENTS ON UNITED STATES 

17 COMPETITIVENESS. 

18 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact19 ment of this Act, the United States International Trade 

20 Commission shall conduct and conclude an investigation 

21 to examine— 

22 (1) how preferential market access provisions, 

23 including tariffs, quotas, and services commitments, 

24 in existing Indo-Pacific regional trade agreements, 

25 including the Regional Comprehensive Economic 


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1 Partnership (RCEP) Agreement and the Com2 prehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pa3 cific Partnership (CPTPP), affect United States ex4 ports and growth opportunities in the Indo-Pacific 

5 region; 

6 (2) how existing non-tariff barriers, including 

7 regulatory practices, relatively lower labor and envi8 ronmental standards, different rules for sectors 

9 ranging from agriculture and the digital economy, 

10 and standard-setting in these areas as part of exist11 ing Indo-Pacific regional and bilateral trade agree12 ments, impact the competitiveness of American 

13 workers and businesses; 

14 (3) the impact of existing Indo-Pacific regional 

15 trade agreements on United States supply chain re16 siliency and connectivity, and in particular its im17 pact on the People’s Republic of China’s role in key 

18 global supply chains; and 

19 (4) differences between the United States-Mex20 ico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and CPTPP, 

21 RCEP, or other regional trade agreements in the 

22 Indo-Pacific that would likely have a substantial im23 pact on United States businesses and workers. 

24 SEC. 4. INDO-PACIFIC TRADE STRATEGY COMMISSION. 

25 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is hereby established 

2 an independent commission to be known as the 

3 ‘‘Indo-Pacific Trade Strategy Commission’’ (in this 

4 section referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’), to develop 

5 findings and recommendations for a comprehensive 

6 trade strategy for the Indo-Pacific region for pur7 poses of— 

8 (A) ensuring sustained United States eco9 nomic and geopolitical leadership in the Indo10 Pacific region; 

11 (B) promoting United States innovation, 

12 exports, and economic opportunities for workers 

13 and businesses; 

14 (C) countering the People’s Republic of 

15 China’s aggressive trade agenda; 

16 (D) promoting United States values, 

17 norms, and standards; 

18 (E) strengthening the United States econ19 omy; 

20 (F) bolstering United States economic and 

21 national security, including by addressing the 

22 vulnerabilities identified in the G7 Leaders’ 

23 Statement on Economic Resilience and Eco24 nomic Security of May 20, 2023; and 


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1 (G) promoting United States supply chain 

2 resilience. 

3 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This subsection shall 

4 take effect on the date that is 30 days after the date 

5 of the enactment of this Act. 

6 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

7 (1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Com8 mission shall be composed of 12 members appointed 

9 as follows: 

10 (A) 6 members appointed by mutual agree11 ment of the Chair of the Committee on Ways 

12 and Means of the House of Representatives and 

13 the Ranking Member of the Committee on Fi14 nance of the Senate. 

15 (B) 6 members appointed by mutual agree16 ment of the Chair of the Committee on Finance 

17 of the Senate and the Ranking Member of the 

18 Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 

19 Representatives. 

20 (C) None of the appointed members shall 

21 be a Member of the House of Representatives 

22 or a Member of the Senate. 

23 (2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The members of the 

24 Commission shall be individuals who have well-docuVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:17 Apr 23, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7962.IH H7962

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1 mented expertise, knowledge, or experience in the 

2 Indo-Pacific region, and— 

3 (A) international trade; 

4 (B) economic and supply chain issues; 

5 (C) labor matters; or 

6 (D) environmental policy. 

7 (3) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall— 

8 (A) hold public hearings and meetings; 

9 (B) hold classified hearings or meetings, if 

10 necessary to discuss classified material or infor11 mation; 

12 (C) provide an opportunity for public com13 ment, including sharing of research and policy 

14 analysis, through publication of a solicitation 

15 for public comments during a period of not less 

16 than 45 days; 

17 (D) consult quarterly with Congress, spe18 cifically with members of the Committee on 

19 Ways and Means of the House of Representa20 tives and members of the Committee on Fi21 nance of the Senate; and 

22 (E) submit, not later than 18 months after 

23 the date of the enactment of this Act, a final 

24 report to Congress, specifically to the members 

25 of the Committee on Ways and Means of the 


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1 House of Representatives and members of the 

2 Committee on Finance of the Senate. 

Æ 


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