I 
★
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6828 
To require a strategy for engagement with Southeast Asia and the Association 
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 
Mrs. WAGNER (for herself and Mr. CASTRO of Texas) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To require a strategy for engagement with Southeast Asia 
and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southeast Asia Strat-
egy Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Southeast Asia is the fulcrum of the Indo- 
Pacific region and the Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional intergovern-
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mental organization, remains the centerpiece of the 
Indo-Pacific region’s architecture. 
(2) The United States has reaffirmed that the 
security and sovereignty of its Southeast Asian allies 
and partners, including a strong, independent 
ASEAN, remain vital to the security, prosperity, and 
stability of the Indo-Pacific region. 
(3) The United States has committed to rein-
vigorating its longstanding security alliances with 
the Philippines and Thailand, as well as bolstering 
partnerships with a range of Southeast Asian na-
tions. 
(4) A central element of United States strategy 
for the Indo-Pacific region is strengthening United 
States alliances and partnerships and working with 
and through allies and partners to address common 
challenges and to enhance shared capabilities. 
(5) ASEAN member states are critical United 
States security partners in preventing violent extre-
mism, protecting the freedom and openness of the 
maritime domain, engaging in global peacekeeping 
operations, and preventing the trafficking of weap-
ons of mass destruction. 
(6) ASEAN member states are vital to the 
prosperity of the United States economy and exports 
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to ASEAN economies support more than 500,000 
jobs in the United States. 
(7) The United States and ASEAN have re-
cently celebrated the 40th anniversary of their ties 
and established a new strategic partnership that will 
enhance cooperation across the economic, political- 
security, and people-to-people pillars of the relation-
ship. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States to— 
(1) cooperate more closely with the ASEAN 
and ASEAN member states in the interest of pro-
moting peace, security, and stability in the Indo-Pa-
cific region; 
(2) establish and communicate a comprehensive 
and focused strategy that articulates the role and 
importance of Southeast Asia to the United States, 
the value of the United States-ASEAN relationship, 
the mutual interests of both parties, and the con-
crete and material benefits all nations derive from 
strong United States engagement and leadership in 
Southeast Asia; and 
(3) affirm the importance of ASEAN centrality 
and ASEAN-led mechanisms in the evolving regional 
architecture of the Indo-Pacific region. 
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SEC. 4. STRATEGY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SOUTHEAST 
ASIA AND ASEAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the 
Secretary of Defense, shall develop and submit to the ap-
propriate congressional committees a comprehensive and 
focused multi-year strategy for engagement with South-
east Asia and ASEAN. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The strategy re-
quired by subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) An identification of enduring United States 
interests in Southeast Asia and efforts to bolster the 
effectiveness of ASEAN as an independent and uni-
fied regional leader. 
(2) An identification of— 
(A) the future of Southeast Asian alli-
ances, partnerships, and multilateral engage-
ments, including efforts to expand security 
interoperability and economic connectivity, and 
build networks of allies and partners with other 
United States partners in the Indo-Pacific re-
gion; and 
(B) partners outside ASEAN that support 
United States interests in Southeast Asia, such 
as an ASEAN-centered and rules-based order, 
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including multilateral efforts to coordinate en-
gagement with ASEAN. 
(3) A list of ongoing and planned initiatives and 
programs to strengthen the United States partner-
ship with Southeast Asian countries and ASEAN 
through trade, investment, energy, and economic 
and political diplomacy in Southeast Asia and 
through development and capacity building, includ-
ing efforts to improve the environment for private 
sector-led economic development, public-private part-
nerships, infrastructure development, development of 
the digital economy and technology, and other initia-
tives relating to education, disaster management, 
and public health. 
(4) An assessment of ongoing and planned ini-
tiatives to directly assist Southeast Asian countries 
and ASEAN in developing institutional capabilities, 
including with respect to enforcing international law 
and sanctions, and initiatives to cooperate with 
ASEAN as an institution in these areas. 
(5) An assessment of ongoing and planned ef-
forts to promote and engage with Southeast Asian 
countries on human rights and democracy, to 
strengthen the rule of law, civil society, and trans-
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parent governance, and to protect the integrity of 
elections and personal data from cyber threats. 
(6) An assessment of ongoing and planned se-
curity cooperation, assistance, and training initia-
tives within Southeast Asian countries, including— 
(A) maritime security and political initia-
tives for protecting the maritime commons and 
supporting international law and freedom of 
navigation in the South China Sea; and 
(B) efforts to combat terrorism, human 
trafficking, piracy, and illegal fishing, and pro-
mote more open, reliable routes for trade. 
(7) An assessment of ongoing and planned 
funding for relevant United States Government de-
partments and agencies on the implementation of 
initiatives highlighted in the strategy and an identi-
fication of additional strategic, management, proce-
dural, legal, personnel, and funding resources needed 
to fully implement the strategy. 
(c) UPDATES
TO STRATEGY.—The Secretary of 
State, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and 
the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees an updated strategy under sub-
section (a) for each of the four years following the year 
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in which the initial strategy is submitted under subsection 
(a). 
(d) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate con-
gressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 
the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate. 
Æ 
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