Title: Southeast Asia Strategy Act
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Southeast Asia Strategy Act
This bill directs the Department of State to submit to Congress a strategy for engagement with Southeast Asia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The strategy shall include various elements including (1) an identification of enduring U.S. interests in the region and efforts to bolster ASEAN's effectiveness; (2) a list of ongoing and planned initiatives to strengthen U.S. relationships in the region, including efforts to promote inclusive economic growth and energy innovation; and (3) a summary of ongoing efforts to promote human rights and democracy and strengthen the rule of law.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1083 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1083

   To require a strategy for engagement with Southeast Asia and the 
            Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2021

   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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Southeast Asia Strategy Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Southeast Asia is the fulcrum of the Indo-Pacific 
        region, providing both a geographic and maritime link between 
        East and South Asia.
            (2) The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a 
        regional intergovernmental organization, remains central to the 
        Indo-Pacific region's institutional architecture and to United 
        States foreign policy toward the region.
            (3) 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 
        prosperity and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
            (4) The United States has committed to deepen longstanding 
        alliances and partnerships with a range of Southeast Asian 
        nations, including by promoting our shared values, democracy, 
        human rights, and civil society.
            (5) Since the end of the Second World War, United States 
        investments in strengthening alliances and partnerships with 
        Southeast Asian nations have yielded tremendous returns for 
        United States interests, as working with and through these 
        alliances and partnerships have increased the region's ability 
        to address common challenges.
            (6) ASEAN member states are critical United States security 
        partners in protecting the freedom and openness of the maritime 
        domain and preventing violent extremism and the trafficking of 
        weapons of mass destruction.
            (7) ASEAN member states have contributed significantly to 
        regional disaster monitoring and management and emergency 
        response through initiatives such as the ASEAN Coordinating 
        Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, an 
        inter-governmental organization that facilitates coordination 
        and cooperation among ASEAN member states and international 
        organizations in times of emergency.
            (8) According to the 2018 ASEAN Business Outlook Survey, 
        ASEAN member states are vital to the prosperity of the United 
        States economy and exports to ASEAN economies support more than 
        500,000 jobs in the United States.
            (9) The United States and ASEAN have established a new 
        strategic partnership that will enhance cooperation across the 
        economic, political-security, and people-to-people pillars of 
        the relationship.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States to--
            (1) deepen cooperation with ASEAN and ASEAN member states 
        in the interest of promoting peace, security, and stability in 
        the Indo-Pacific region;
            (2) affirm the importance of ASEAN centrality and ASEAN-led 
        mechanisms in the evolving institutional architecture of the 
        Indo-Pacific region; and
            (3) establish and communicate a comprehensive strategy 
        toward the Indo-Pacific region that articulates--
                    (A) the role and importance of Southeast Asia to 
                the United States;
                    (B) the value of the United States-ASEAN 
                relationship;
                    (C) the mutual interests of all parties;
                    (D) the concrete and material benefits all nations 
                derive from strong United States engagement and 
                leadership in Southeast Asia; and
                    (E) efforts to forge and maintain ASEAN consensus, 
                especially on key issues of political and security 
                concern to the region, such as the South China Sea.

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 
heads of other Federal departments and agencies as appropriate, shall 
develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
comprehensive strategy for engagement with Southeast Asia and ASEAN.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--The strategy required by subsection 
(a) shall include the following:
            (1) A statement of enduring United States interests in 
        Southeast Asia and a description of efforts to bolster the 
        effectiveness of ASEAN.
            (2) A description of efforts to--
                    (A) deepen and expand Southeast Asian alliances, 
                partnerships, and multilateral engagements, including 
                efforts to expand broad based and inclusive economic 
                growth, security ties, security cooperation and 
                interoperability, economic connectivity, and expand 
                opportunities for ASEAN to work with other like-minded 
                partners in the region; and
                    (B) encourage like-minded partners outside of the 
                Indo-Pacific region to engage with ASEAN.
            (3) A summary of initiatives across the whole of the United 
        States Government to strengthen the United States partnership 
        with Southeast Asian nations and ASEAN, including to promote 
        broad based and inclusive economic growth, trade, investment, 
        energy innovation and sustainability, public-private 
        partnerships, physical and digital infrastructure development, 
        education, disaster management, public health and global health 
        security, and economic, political, and public diplomacy in 
        Southeast Asia.
            (4) A summary of initiatives across the whole of the United 
        States Government to enhance the capacity of Southeast Asian 
        nations with respect to enforcing international law and 
        multilateral sanctions, and initiatives to cooperate with ASEAN 
        as an institution in these areas.
            (5) A summary of initiatives across the whole of the United 
        States Government to promote human rights and democracy, to 
        strengthen the rule of law, civil society, and transparent 
        governance, to combat disinformation and to protect the 
        integrity of elections from outside influence.
            (6) A summary of initiatives to promote security 
        cooperation and security assistance within Southeast Asian 
        nations, including--
                    (A) maritime security and maritime domain awareness 
                initiatives 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 promote more open, 
                reliable routes for sea lines of communication.
    (c) Distribution of Strategy.--For the purposes of assuring allies 
and partners in Southeast Asia and deepening United States engagement 
with ASEAN, the Secretary of State shall direct each United States 
chief of mission to ASEAN and its member states to distribute the 
strategy required by subsection (a) to host governments.
    (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Armed Services of the House of Representatives; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Armed Services of the Senate.
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