•HRES 311 EH 
lomatically, economically, and from the standpoint of na-
tional security’’; 
Whereas on February 16, 2016, at the Sunnylands Summit 
in California, the United States and ASEAN reaffirmed 
their shared commitment to maintain peace, security, and 
stability throughout the region; 
Whereas in 2013 ASEAN, as a whole, was the seventh-larg-
est economy in the world with an annual Gross Domestic 
Product (GDP) of $2.4 trillion, and is the United States’ 
fourth-largest export market with total exports reaching 
$102 billion in 2015; 
Whereas the United States and ASEAN have strong eco-
nomic ties, as the United States is the single largest in-
vestor in ASEAN with accumulated United States foreign 
direct investment totaling almost $226 billion as of 2014, 
and economic relations with ASEAN supporting more 
than 500,000 jobs in the United States; 
Whereas the United States-ASEAN partnership is vital to the 
security interests of the United States, as both the 
United States and the members of ASEAN have a shared 
common interest in a peaceful resolution of the South 
China Sea disputes and achieving a denuclearized North 
Korea; 
Whereas on November 4, 2002, the Declaration on the Con-
duct of Parties in the South China Sea was signed by all 
members of ASEAN and the People’s Republic of China, 
committing all parties to ‘‘exercise self-restraint in the 
conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate 
disputes and affect peace and stability’’; 
Whereas ASEAN is a partner to the United States on key 
transnational challenges, such as terrorism, violent extre-
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mism, environmental degradation, energy, infectious dis-
eases, disarmament, proliferation of weapons of mass de-
struction, cybersecurity, trafficking in persons, illicit traf-
ficking of wildlife and timber, and illegal, unregulated, 
and unreported fishing; and 
Whereas the 2016 East Asia Summit in Vientiane adopted a 
statement on nonproliferation that reaffirmed the United 
States, ASEAN, and other Dialogue Partners’ support 
for efforts at the national, regional, and international 
level to promote nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-
proliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and re-
iterated the importance of nuclear security to combating 
nuclear terrorism: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports and affirms the elevation of the United 
States-ASEAN relationship to a strategic partnership, 
and reaffirms the United States commitment to pro-
moting a rules-based order in the Asia-Pacific and eco-
nomic growth, peace, human rights and stability in 
Southeast Asia; 
(2) recognizes the value of ASEAN working with 
economic, political, and security partners, such as Aus-
tralia, Canada, the European Union, India, Japan, New 
Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan 
both inside and outside of Asia, to both strengthen exist-
ing initiatives such as the United States-ASEAN Con-
nect and to develop new initiatives that address mutual 
strategic concerns;
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(3) encourages the enhancement of economic en-
gagement between the United States and ASEAN 
through the elimination of trade barriers; 
(4) supports cooperation with ASEAN to implement 
practical counter-terrorism and countering violent extre-
mism measures, including efforts to counter homegrown 
radicalization and stem foreign fighter travel; 
(5) supports efforts by ASEAN member states and 
other regional states, including the People’s Republic of 
China, to address maritime and territorial disputes in a 
constructive manner and to pursue claims, through di-
plomacy and the use of legitimate regional and inter-
national arbitration mechanisms, consistent with inter-
national law, including through the adoption of a code 
of conduct in the South China Sea to further promote 
peace and stability in the region; 
(6) urges all parties to maritime and territorial dis-
putes in the Asia-Pacific region to— 
(A) exercise self-restraint in the conduct of ac-
tivities that would undermine stability or escalate 
disputes through the use of coercion, intimidation, 
or military force; and 
(B) 
refrain 
from 
efforts 
to 
militarize 
uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, and other fea-
tures, through actions including the construction of
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new garrisons and facilities, and the relocation of 
additional military personnel, materiel, or equip-
ment; and 
(7) 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 re-
gional mechanisms to provide assistance and support to 
refugees and migrants. 
Attest: 
Clerk.