II 

Calendar No. 48 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 682 

To provide for the treatment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

(ASEAN) as an international organization for purposes of the International Organizations Immunities Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2023 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Ms. DUCKWORTH, and Mr. ROMNEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Relations 

MAY 4, 2023 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To provide for the treatment of the Association of Southeast 

Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an international organization 

for purposes of the International Organizations Immunities Act, and for other purposes. 

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


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•S 682 RS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Providing Appropriate 

3 Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations 

4 with ASEAN Act’’ or the ‘‘PARTNER with ASEAN Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON DEEPENING COOPERA6 TION WITH ASEAN. 

7 It is the policy of the United States— 

8 (1) to reaffirm the United States-ASEAN Com9 prehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 

10 2022 following 45 years of Dialogue Partnership; 

11 (2) to enhance United States-ASEAN coopera12 tion in support of an open, transparent, resilient, in13 clusive and rules-based regional architecture in the 

14 Indo-Pacific; 

15 (3) to support regular, high-level United States 

16 official engagement with ASEAN, including the par17 ticipation in the annual ASEAN Summit held each 

18 year; 

19 (4) to enhance cooperation with ASEAN mem20 ber states as well as with the institution of ASEAN 

21 and the ASEAN Secretariat, including through the 

22 United States Mission to ASEAN, led by the United 

23 States Ambassador to ASEAN; and 

24 (5) to welcome the decision in-principle by 

25 ASEAN to admit Timor-Leste to be ASEAN’s 11th 

26 member state and to encourage United States supVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:40 May 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S682.RS S682

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•S 682 RS

1 port to Timor-Leste in its capacity as an official 

2 ASEAN observer. 

3 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 

4 AN ASEAN DELEGATION TO THE UNITED 

5 STATES. 

6 It is the sense of Congress that it is in the United 

7 States interest to encourage the establishment, at the ear8 liest opportunity, of an ASEAN delegation to the United 

9 States, to enhance cooperation between ASEAN and the 

10 United States at all levels. 

11 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITIES TO THE 

12 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NA13 TIONS. 

14 The provisions of the International Organizations Im15 munities Act (22 U.S.C. 288 et seq.) may be extended to 

16 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the same 

17 manner, to the same extent, and subject to the same con18 ditions as such provisions may be extended to a public 

19 international organization in which the United States par20 ticipates pursuant to any treaty or under the authority 

21 of any Act of Congress authorizing such participation or 

22 making an appropriation for such participation. 


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4 

•S 682 RS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Providing Appropriate 

3 Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations 

4 with ASEAN Act’’ or the ‘‘PARTNER with ASEAN Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY ON DEEPENING COOPERA6 TION WITH ASEAN. 

7 It is the policy of the United States— 

8 (1) to reaffirm the United States-ASEAN Com9 prehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2022 

10 following 45 years of Dialogue Partnership; 

11 (2) to enhance United States-ASEAN coopera12 tion in support of an open, transparent, resilient, in13 clusive and rules-based regional architecture in the 

14 Indo-Pacific; 

15 (3) to support regular, high-level United States 

16 official engagement with ASEAN, including the par17 ticipation in the annual ASEAN Summit held each 

18 year; 

19 (4) to enhance cooperation with ASEAN member 

20 states, as appropriate, as well as with the institution 

21 of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat, including 

22 through the United States Mission to ASEAN, led by 

23 the United States Ambassador to ASEAN; and 

24 (5) to welcome the decision in-principle by 

25 ASEAN to admit Timor-Leste to be ASEAN’s 11th 

26 member state and to encourage United States support 


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5 

•S 682 RS

1 to Timor-Leste in its capacity as an official ASEAN 

2 observer. 

3 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 

4 AN ASEAN DELEGATION TO THE UNITED 

5 STATES. 

6 It is the sense of Congress that— 

7 (1) it is in the United States interest to encour8 age the establishment, at the earliest opportunity, of 

9 an ASEAN delegation to the United States, to en10 hance cooperation between ASEAN and the United 

11 States at all levels; and 

12 (2) the establishment of an ASEAN center in the 

13 United States would support United States economic 

14 and cultural engagement with Southeast Asia. 

15 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITIES TO THE 

16 ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NA17 TIONS. 

18 The provisions of the International Organizations Im19 munities Act (22 U.S.C. 288 et seq.) may be extended to 

20 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the same 

21 manner, to the same extent, and subject to the same condi22 tions as such provisions may be extended to a public inter23 national organization in which the United States partici24 pates pursuant to any treaty or under the authority of any 


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•S 682 RS

1 Act of Congress authorizing such participation or making 

2 an appropriation for such participation. 


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Calendar No. 48 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 682 

A BILL 

To provide for the treatment of the Association of 

other purposes. national Organizations Immunities Act, and for national organization for purposes of the InterSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an interMAY 4, 2023 

Reported with an amendment 


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