IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1083 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 20, 2021 

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). 

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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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southeast Asia Strat3 egy Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Southeast Asia is the fulcrum of the Indo7 Pacific region, providing both a geographic and mar8 itime link between East and South Asia. 

9 (2) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

10 (ASEAN), a regional intergovernmental organiza11 tion, remains central to the Indo-Pacific region’s in12 stitutional architecture and to United States foreign 

13 policy toward the region. 

14 (3) The United States has reaffirmed that the 

15 security and sovereignty of its Southeast Asian allies 

16 and partners, including a strong, independent 

17 ASEAN, remain vital to the prosperity and stability 

18 of the Indo-Pacific region. 

19 (4) The United States has committed to deepen 

20 longstanding alliances and partnerships with a range 

21 of Southeast Asian nations, including by promoting 

22 our shared values, democracy, human rights, and 

23 civil society. 

24 (5) Since the end of the Second World War, 

25 United States investments in strengthening alliances 

26 and partnerships with Southeast Asian nations have 


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1 yielded tremendous returns for United States inter2 ests, as working with and through these alliances 

3 and partnerships have increased the region’s ability 

4 to address common challenges. 

5 (6) ASEAN member states are critical United 

6 States security partners in protecting the freedom 

7 and openness of the maritime domain and pre8 venting violent extremism and the trafficking of 

9 weapons of mass destruction. 

10 (7) ASEAN member states have contributed 

11 significantly to regional disaster monitoring and 

12 management and emergency response through initia13 tives such as the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for 

14 Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, 

15 an inter-governmental organization that facilitates 

16 coordination and cooperation among ASEAN mem17 ber states and international organizations in times 

18 of emergency. 

19 (8) According to the 2018 ASEAN Business 

20 Outlook Survey, ASEAN member states are vital to 

21 the prosperity of the United States economy and ex22 ports to ASEAN economies support more than 

23 500,000 jobs in the United States. 

24 (9) The United States and ASEAN have estab25 lished a new strategic partnership that will enhance 


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1 cooperation across the economic, political-security, 

2 and people-to-people pillars of the relationship. 

3 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

4 It is the policy of the United States to— 

5 (1) deepen cooperation with ASEAN and 

6 ASEAN member states in the interest of promoting 

7 peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pacific re8 gion; 

9 (2) affirm the importance of ASEAN centrality 

10 and ASEAN-led mechanisms in the evolving institu11 tional architecture of the Indo-Pacific region; and 

12 (3) establish and communicate a comprehensive 

13 strategy toward the Indo-Pacific region that articu14 lates— 

15 (A) the role and importance of Southeast 

16 Asia to the United States; 

17 (B) the value of the United States-ASEAN 

18 relationship; 

19 (C) the mutual interests of all parties; 

20 (D) the concrete and material benefits all 

21 nations derive from strong United States en22 gagement and leadership in Southeast Asia; and 

23 (E) efforts to forge and maintain ASEAN 

24 consensus, especially on key issues of political 


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1 and security concern to the region, such as the 

2 South China Sea. 

3 SEC. 4. STRATEGY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SOUTHEAST 

4 ASIA AND ASEAN. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

6 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 

7 in consultation with the heads of other Federal depart8 ments and agencies as appropriate, shall develop and sub9 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a com10 prehensive strategy for engagement with Southeast Asia 

11 and ASEAN. 

12 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The strategy re13 quired by subsection (a) shall include the following: 

14 (1) A statement of enduring United States in15 terests in Southeast Asia and a description of efforts 

16 to bolster the effectiveness of ASEAN. 

17 (2) A description of efforts to— 

18 (A) deepen and expand Southeast Asian al19 liances, partnerships, and multilateral engage20 ments, including efforts to expand broad based 

21 and inclusive economic growth, security ties, se22 curity cooperation and interoperability, eco23 nomic connectivity, and expand opportunities 

24 for ASEAN to work with other like-minded 

25 partners in the region; and 


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1 (B) encourage like-minded partners outside 

2 of the Indo-Pacific region to engage with 

3 ASEAN. 

4 (3) A summary of initiatives across the whole 

5 of the United States Government to strengthen the 

6 United States partnership with Southeast Asian na7 tions and ASEAN, including to promote broad based 

8 and inclusive economic growth, trade, investment, 

9 energy innovation and sustainability, public-private 

10 partnerships, physical and digital infrastructure de11 velopment, education, disaster management, public 

12 health and global health security, and economic, po13 litical, and public diplomacy in Southeast Asia. 

14 (4) A summary of initiatives across the whole 

15 of the United States Government to enhance the ca16 pacity of Southeast Asian nations with respect to en17 forcing international law and multilateral sanctions, 

18 and initiatives to cooperate with ASEAN as an insti19 tution in these areas. 

20 (5) A summary of initiatives across the whole 

21 of the United States Government to promote human 

22 rights and democracy, to strengthen the rule of law, 

23 civil society, and transparent governance, to combat 

24 disinformation and to protect the integrity of elec25 tions from outside influence. 


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1 (6) A summary of initiatives to promote secu2 rity cooperation and security assistance within 

3 Southeast Asian nations, including— 

4 (A) maritime security and maritime do5 main awareness initiatives for protecting the 

6 maritime commons and supporting international 

7 law and freedom of navigation in the South 

8 China Sea; and 

9 (B) efforts to combat terrorism, human 

10 trafficking, piracy, and illegal fishing, and pro11 mote more open, reliable routes for sea lines of 

12 communication. 

13 (c) DISTRIBUTION OF STRATEGY.—For the purposes 

14 of assuring allies and partners in Southeast Asia and 

15 deepening United States engagement with ASEAN, the 

16 Secretary of State shall direct each United States chief 

17 of mission to ASEAN and its member states to distribute 

18 the strategy required by subsection (a) to host govern19 ments. 

20 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

21 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con22 gressional committees’’ means— 

23 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

24 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep25 resentatives; and 


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1 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

2 the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. 

Passed the House of Representatives April 19, 2021. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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