•HRES 311 IH 
Whereas, on this visit, Vice President Pence remarked that 
‘‘By strengthening our economic ties, the United States 
and ASEAN member nations can foster jobs, prosperity, 
and growth in new and unprecedented ways.’’ and that 
‘‘American exports to ASEAN member nations already 
support more than 550,000 jobs in the United States, 
and almost 42,000 U.S. companies export more than 
$100 billion in goods and services to ASEAN nations 
every year.’’; and 
Whereas, on this visit, Vice President Pence announced that 
President Trump will attend the U.S.-ASEAN Summit, 
the East Asia Summit, and the APEC Leaders Meeting 
in Vietnam and the Philippines in November 2017: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) welcomes the leaders of the Association of 
South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to the United 
States for the meetings with Secretary of State Rex 
Tillerson and members of Congress and affirms the 
meeting as the first of regular United States- 
ASEAN meetings; 
(2) supports and affirms the elevation of the 
United States-ASEAN relationship to a strategic 
partnership and recommits the United States to 
ASEAN centrality and to helping to build a strong, 
stable, politically cohesive, economically integrated, 
and socially responsible ASEAN community with 
common rules, norms, procedures, and standards 
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consistent with international law and the principles 
of a rules-based Asia-Pacific community; 
(3) urges ASEAN to continue its efforts to fos-
ter greater integration and unity toward the ASEAN 
community; 
(4) 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 of and outside of 
Asia, as the advantage of strategic economic initia-
tives like the U.S.-ASEAN Connect that dem-
onstrate a commitment to ASEAN and the AEC and 
build upon economic relationships in the region; 
(5) reaffirms the enhancement of United 
States-ASEAN economic engagement, including the 
elimination of barriers to cross-border commerce, 
and supports the ASEAN Economic Community’s 
goals, including strong, inclusive, and sustainable 
growth and cooperation with the United States that 
focuses on innovation and capacity building efforts 
in technology, education, disaster management, food 
security, human rights, and trade facilitation, in-
cluding for ASEAN’s poorest countries; 
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(6) supports efforts by ASEAN member states 
to address maritime and territorial disputes in a 
constructive manner and to pursue claims through 
peaceful, diplomatic, and legitimate regional and 
international arbitration mechanisms, consistent 
with international law, including through the adop-
tion of a code of conduct in the South China Sea to 
further promote peace and stability in the region; 
(7) urges all parties to maritime and territorial 
disputes in the Asia-Pacific region, including the 
People’s Republic of China, to— 
(A) exercise self-restraint in the conduct of 
activities that would undermine stability or 
complicate or escalate disputes through the use 
of coercion, intimidation, or military force; and 
(B) refrain from new efforts to militarize 
uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, and other 
features, including but not limited to the con-
struction of new garrisons and facilities, and 
the relocation of additional military personnel, 
materiel, or equipment; 
(8) opposes actions by any country to prevent 
any other country from exercising its sovereign 
rights to the resources of the exclusive economic 
zone (EEZ) and continental shelf by seeking to en-
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force claims to those areas in the South China Sea 
that have no support in international law; 
(9) opposes unilateral declarations of adminis-
trative and military districts in contested areas in 
the South China Sea; 
(10) supports efforts to negotiate the joint 
management of maritime resources through diplo-
macy and peaceful negotiation; 
(11) urges parties to refrain from unilateral ac-
tions that cause permanent physical damage to the 
marine environment and supports the efforts of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
and ASEAN to implement guidelines to address ille-
gal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the re-
gion; 
(12) supports efforts by United States partners 
and allies in ASEAN— 
(A) to enhance maritime capability and 
maritime domain awareness; 
(B) to protect unhindered access to and 
use of international waterways in the Asia-Pa-
cific region that are critical to ensuring the se-
curity and free flow of commerce; 
(C) to counter piracy; 
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(D) to disrupt illicit maritime trafficking 
activities such as the trafficking of persons, 
goods, and drugs; and 
(E) to enhance the maritime capabilities of 
countries or regional organizations to respond 
to emerging threats to maritime security in the 
Asia-Pacific region; 
(13) urges ASEAN member states to develop a 
common approach to reaffirm the decision of the 
Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague’s rul-
ing with respect to the case between the Republic of 
the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China; 
(14) 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 as-
sistance and support to refugees and migrants; 
(15) supports the Lower Mekong Initiative, 
which has made significant progress in promoting 
sustainable economic development in mainland 
Southeast Asia and fostering integrated subregional 
cooperation and capacity building; 
(16) urges ASEAN to build capacity for the 
promotion and protection of human rights by 
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ASEAN member states, and the implementation of 
related priorities, programs, and activities; 
(17) urges ASEAN governments to engage di-
rectly with leaders of civil society and human rights, 
including victims of human rights abuses, and 
prioritize the construction of forums that give these 
stakeholders a voice to instruct public policy; 
(18) encourages the President to communicate 
to ASEAN leaders the importance of protecting 
human rights, releasing political prisoners and end-
ing politically motivated prosecutions, strengthening 
civil society, safeguarding the freedom of the press, 
the freedom of assembly, and the free flow of infor-
mation and ideas, and promoting open and trans-
parent government; and 
(19) supports the Young Southeast Asian Lead-
ers Initiative program as an example of people-to- 
people partnership building that provides skills, net-
works, and leadership capabilities to a new genera-
tion of people who will create and fill jobs, foster 
cross-border cooperation and partnerships, and rise 
to solve the regional and global challenges of the fu-
ture. 
Æ 
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