In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
December 12, 2018.
Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 2736) entitled “An Act to develop a long-term strategic vision and a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy for the Indo-Pacific region, and for other purposes.”, do pass with the following
AMENDMENT:
(b) Table of contents.—The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 101. Policy.
Sec. 102. Diplomatic strategy.
Sec. 201. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 202. Treaty alliances in the Indo-Pacific region.
Sec. 203. United States-China relationship.
Sec. 204. United States-India strategic partnership.
Sec. 205. United States-ASEAN strategic partnership.
Sec. 206. United States-Republic of Korea-Japan trilateral security partnership.
Sec. 207. Quadrilateral security dialogue.
Sec. 208. Enhanced security partnerships in Southeast Asia.
Sec. 209. Commitment to Taiwan.
Sec. 210. North Korea strategy.
Sec. 211. New Zealand.
Sec. 212. The Pacific Islands.
Sec. 213. Freedom of navigation and overflight; promotion of international law.
Sec. 214. Combating terrorism in Southeast Asia.
Sec. 215. Cybersecurity cooperation.
Sec. 216. Nonproliferation and arms control in the Indo-Pacific region.
Sec. 301. Findings; sense of Congress.
Sec. 302. Trade negotiations, multilateral agreements, and regional economic summits.
Sec. 303. United States-ASEAN economic partnership.
Sec. 304. Trade capacity building and trade facilitation.
Sec. 305. Intellectual property protection.
Sec. 306. Energy programs and initiatives.
Sec. 307. Lower Mekong initiative.
Sec. 308. Sense of Congress on economic growth and natural resource conservation.
Sec. 309. Sense of Congress in support of women's economic rights.
Sec. 401. Findings.
Sec. 402. Trafficking-in-persons.
Sec. 403. Freedom of the press.
Sec. 404. Democracy, human rights, and labor personnel.
Sec. 405. Bilateral and regional dialogues; people-to-people engagement.
Sec. 406. Association of Southeast Asian Nations Human Rights Strategy.
Sec. 407. Freedom of information to North Korea.
Sec. 408. Sense of Congress on imposition of sanctions and suspension of United States assistance.
Sec. 409. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 410. Indo-Pacific human rights defenders.
Sec. 411. Young leaders people-to-people initiatives.
Congress makes the following findings:
(2) The core tenets of the United States-backed international system are being challenged, including by—
(3) The economic order in the Indo-Pacific region continues to transform, presenting opportunities and challenges to United States economic interests.
(4) The United States has a fundamental interest in defending human rights and promoting the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region. Although many countries in the region have improved the treatment of their citizens, several Indo-Pacific governments continue to commit human rights abuses and place restrictions on basic human rights and political and civil liberties.
(5) Without strong leadership from the United States, the international system, fundamentally rooted in the rule of law, may wither, to the detriment of United States, regional, and global interests. It is imperative that the United States continue to play a leading role in the Indo-Pacific region by—
(6) In 2017, the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate held a series of hearings on United States leadership in the Indo-Pacific region, in which—
(A) experts, including Representative Randy Forbes, Ambassador Robert Gallucci, Ms. Tami Overby, Dr. Robert Orr, Ambassador Derek Mitchell, Ambassador Robert King, Mr. Murray Hiebert, and others detailed the security challenges, economic opportunities, and imperatives of promoting the rule of law, human rights, and democracy, in the Indo-Pacific region; and
(B) Dr. Graham Allison, the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, testified, “As realistic students of history, Chinese leaders recognize that the role the United States has played since World War II as the architect and underwriter of regional stability and security has been essential to the rise of Asia, including China itself. But they believe that as the tide that brought the United States to Asia recedes, America must leave with it. Much as Britain’s role in the Western Hemisphere faded at the beginning of the twentieth century, so must America’s role in Asia as the region’s historic superpower resumes its place.”.
(7) The United States National Security Strategy (referred to in this Act as the “National Security Strategy”), which was released in December 2017, states—
(A) “A geopolitical competition between free and repressive visions of world order is taking place in the Indo-Pacific region. The region, which stretches from the west coast of India to the western shores of the United States, represents the most populous and economically dynamic part of the world. The United States interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific extends back to the earliest days of our republic.”; and
(B) “Our vision for the Indo-Pacific excludes no nation. We will redouble our commitment to established alliances and partnerships, while expanding and deepening relationships with new partners that share respect for sovereignty, fair and reciprocal trade, and the rule of law. We will reinforce our commitment to freedom of the seas and the peaceful resolution of territorial and maritime disputes in accordance with international law. We will work with allies and partners to achieve complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and preserve the non-proliferation regime in Northeast Asia.”.
It is the policy of the United States to develop and commit to a long-term strategic vision and a comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy for the Indo-Pacific region that—
(2) promotes American prosperity and economic interests by advancing economic growth and development of a rules-based Indo-Pacific economic community;
It is the diplomatic strategy of the United States—
(3) to support functional problem-solving regional architecture, including through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the East Asia Summit;
(5) to pursue diplomatic measures to achieve complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea;
(7) to develop and grow the economy through private sector partnerships between the United States and Indo-Pacific partners;
(8) to pursue multilateral and bilateral trade agreements in a free, fair, and reciprocal manner and build a network of partners in the Indo-Pacific committed to free markets;
(b) Authorization of appropriations.—There are authorized to be appropriated for the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, and, as appropriate, the Department of Defense, $1,500,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023, which shall be used—
(1) to advance United States foreign policy interests and objectives in the Indo-Pacific region in recognition of the value of diplomatic initiatives and programs in the furtherance of United States strategy;
(2) to improve the defense capacity and resiliency of partner nations to resist coercion and deter and defend against security threats, including through foreign military financing and international military education and training programs;
(3) to conduct regular bilateral and multilateral engagements, particularly with the United States’ most highly-capable allies and partners, to meet strategic challenges, including—
(4) to build new counterterrorism partnership programs in Southeast Asia to combat the growing presence of ISIS and other terrorist organizations that pose a significant threat to the United States, its allies, and its citizens’ interests abroad;
(6) to ensure that the regulatory environments for trade, infrastructure, and investment in partner countries are transparent, open, and free of corruption;
(7) to encourage responsible natural resource management in partner countries, which is closely associated with economic growth; and
(c) Countering China’s influence to undermine the international system.—Amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (b) shall be made available for United States Government efforts to counter the strategic influence of the People’s Republic of China, in accordance with the strategy required under section 7043(e)(3) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2014 (division K of Public Law 113–76; 128 Stat. 536) and in consultation with the appropriate committees of Congress.
(d) Burma.—None of the amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (b) may be made available for International Military Education and Training and Foreign Military Financing Programs for the armed forces of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (historically known as “Burma”).
(e) Philippines.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—None of the amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (b) may be made available for counternarcotics assistance for the Philippine National Police unless the Secretary of State determines and reports to the appropriate committees of Congress that the Government of the Philippines has adopted and is implementing a counternarcotics strategy that is consistent with international human rights standards, including investigating and prosecuting individuals who are credibly alleged to have ordered, committed, or covered up extrajudicial killings and other gross violations of human rights in the conduct of counternarcotics operations.
(f) Cambodia.—None of the amounts authorized to be appropriated pursuant to subsection (b) may be made available for United States assistance programs that benefit the Government of Cambodia unless the Secretary of State certifies and reports to the appropriate congressional committees that the requirements under section 7043(b)(1) of division K of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141) have been met.
(a) United States-Japan alliance.—The United States Government—
(1) is committed to the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, done at Washington, January 19, 1960, and all related and subsequent bilateral security agreements and arrangements concluded on or before the date of the enactment of this Act;
(b) United States-Republic of Korea alliance.—The United States Government—
(1) is committed to the Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea, done at Washington October 1, 1953, and all related and subsequent bilateral security agreements and arrangements concluded on or before the date of the enactment of this Act;
(c) United States-Australia alliance.—The United States Government—
(1) is committed to the Security Treaty Between Australia and the United States of America, done at San Francisco September 1, 1951, and all related and subsequent bilateral security agreements and arrangements concluded on or before the date of the enactment of this Act;
(d) United States-Philippines alliance.—The United States Government is committed to the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America, done at Washington August 30, 1951, and all related and subsequent bilateral security agreements and arrangements concluded on or before the date of the enactment of this Act, including the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, done at Manila April 28, 2014.
(a) In general.—The United States Government—
(2) encourages China to play a constructive role in world affairs by demonstrating consistent respect for the rule of law and international norms;
(a) In general.—The United States Government—
(1) recognizes the vital role of the strategic partnership between the United States and India in promoting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region;
(2) calls for the strengthening and broadening of diplomatic, economic, and security ties between the United States and India; and
(3) is committed to—
(A) the New Framework for the United States-India Defense Relationship, done at Arlington, Virginia on June 28, 2005;
(C) the Joint Strategic Vision for the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean Region, announced on January 25, 2015;
(b) India as major defense partner.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Section 1292(a)(1)(A) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 130 Stat. 2559; 22 U.S.C. 2751 note) requires the recognition of India as a major defense partner.
(2) The designation of India as a major defense partner, which is unique to India—
(A) institutionalizes the progress made to facilitate defense trade and technology sharing between the United States and India;
(B) elevates defense trade and technology cooperation between the United States and India to a level commensurate with the closest allies and partners of the United States;
(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that the United States should—
(1) support and reaffirm the elevation of the United States-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (referred to in this section as “ASEAN”) relationship to a strategic partnership;
(2) recommit to ASEAN centrality by helping build a strong, stable, politically cohesive, economically integrated, and socially responsible community of nations that has common rules, norms, procedures, and standards which are consistent with international law and the principles of a rules-based Indo-Pacific community;
(4) recognize the value of—
(A) ASEAN engagement with economic, political, and security partners within Asia and elsewhere, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan; and
(B) strategic economic initiatives, such as activities under the United States–ASEAN Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement and the United States-ASEAN Connect, which demonstrate a commitment to ASEAN and the ASEAN Economic Community and build upon economic relationships in the Indo-Pacific region;
(6) support efforts by United States partners and allies in ASEAN—
(B) to protect unhindered access to, and use of, international waterways in the Asia-Pacific region that are critical to ensuring the security and free flow of commerce;
(b) Report on strategic framework for engagement with ASEAN.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the Secretary of State, in consultation with other Federal agencies, shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees on a strategic framework to administer programs, projects, and activities of the United States to support diplomatic and economic engagement between the United States and ASEAN member countries for the 10-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under paragraph (1) shall address the following elements of United States strategy:
(B) Helping member countries of ASEAN use sustainable, efficient, and innovative technologies in their respective energy sectors.
(C) Supporting economic conditions in member countries of ASEAN that promote innovation, the creation of new businesses, sustainable growth, and the education of the region’s future innovators, entrepreneurs, and business leaders.
(D) Working with member countries of ASEAN to improve the policy and regulatory environment for growth, trade, innovation, and investment.
It is the sense of Congress that the President should develop a strategy to deepen the trilateral security cooperation between the United States, South Korea, and Japan, including missile defense, intelligence-sharing, and other defense-related initiatives.
It is the sense of Congress that—
(a) Indonesia.—The United States Government is committed to—
(b) Malaysia.—The United States Government is committed to—
(c) Singapore.—The United States Government is committed to—
(a) United States commitment to Taiwan.—It is the policy of the United States—
(1) to support the close economic, political, and security relationship between Taiwan and the United States;
(b) Arms sales to Taiwan.—The President should conduct regular transfers of defense articles to Taiwan that are tailored to meet the existing and likely future threats from the People’s Republic of China, including supporting the efforts of Taiwan to develop and integrate asymmetric capabilities, as appropriate, including mobile, survivable, and cost-effective capabilities, into its military forces.
(c) Travel.—The President should encourage the travel of highlevel United States officials to Taiwan, in accordance with the Taiwan Travel Act (Public Law 115–135).
(a) Findings.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has flagrantly defied the international community by illicitly developing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016), 2321 (2016), 2371 (2017), 2375 (2017), and 2397 (2017).
(b) Policy of the United States with respect to sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.—
(1) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States to continue to impose sanctions with respect to activities of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, persons acting for or on behalf of such government, or other persons in accordance with Executive Order No. 13551 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking property of certain persons with respect to North Korea), Executive Order No. 13687 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to imposing additional sanctions), Executive Order No. 13694 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking the property of certain persons engaging in significant malicious cyberenabled activities), Executive Order No. 13722 (50 U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking the property of the Government of North Korea and the Workers’ Party of Korea, and prohibiting certain transactions with respect to North Korea), and Executive Order No. 13810 (82 Fed. Reg. 44705; relating to imposing additional sanctions with respect to North Korea), as such Executive orders are in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act, until the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is no longer engaged in the illicit activities described in such Executive orders, including actions in violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions referred to in subsection (a)(1).
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after terminating any sanction with respect to the activities of the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, a person acting for or on behalf of such government, or any other person provided for in an Executive order listed in subsection (a), the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees justifying the termination of the sanction and explaining the relationship between such termination and the cessation of any illicit activity that violates any of the United Nations Security Council resolutions referred to in subsection (a)(1) by such Government or person. The reporting requirement under this paragraph shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to limit the authority of the President pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.).
(c) Policy of the United States with respect to negotiation on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.—It is the policy of the United States that the objective of negotiations with respect to the nuclear and ballistic missile programs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea be the complete, verifiable, and irreversible dismantlement of such programs.
(d) Report on a strategy to address the threats posed by, and the capabilities of, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter for the following 5 years, the Secretary of State, or a designee of the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees that describes actions taken by the United States to address the threats posed by, and the capabilities of, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
(2) ELEMENTS.—Each report required under paragraph (1) shall include—
(A) a summary of ongoing efforts by the United States to identify strategies and policies, including an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of such strategies and policies—
(B) an assessment of—
(C) a summary of the United States strategy to increase international coordination and cooperation, whether unilaterally, bilaterally, or multilaterally, including sanctions enforcement and interdiction, to address the threat posed by the nuclear and ballistic missile programs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which shall include—
(i) a description of the actions taken by the Secretary of State, or designees of the Secretary, to consult with governments around the world, with the purpose of inducing such governments to fully implement the United Nations Security Council resolutions referred to in subsection (a)(1);
(ii) a description of the actions taken by such governments to fully implement United Nations Security Council resolutions related to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea;
(D) an assessment of the adequacy of the national export control regimes of countries that are members of the United Nations, and multilateral export control regimes, that are necessary to enforce sanctions imposed with respect to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea pursuant to the United Nations Security Council resolutions referred to in subsection (a)(1); and
(e) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) representatives of the United States shall use the voice and vote of the United States in all international organizations, as appropriate, to advocate for the expulsion of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea from such organizations, until such time as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea meets its commitments under the United Nations Security Council resolutions referred to in subsection (a)(1); and
(2) the Secretary of State should work to induce countries to meet their commitments under the United Nations Security Council resolutions referred to in subsection (a)(1), including by considering appropriate adjustments to the diplomatic posture and foreign assistance of the United States with governments that the Secretary has determined are noncooperative with respect to implementing the United Nations Security Council resolutions referred to in subsection (a)(1).
The United States Government is committed to—
(1) the Wellington Declaration, signed on November 5, 2010, which reaffirmed close ties and outlined future practical cooperation between the United States and New Zealand;
(a) In general.—It is the sense of Congress that the United States should—
(1) support strong United States engagement with the nations of the South Pacific, including Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu;
(a) Freedom of navigation.—It is the policy of the United States—
(b) Joint Indo-Pacific diplomatic strategy.—It is the sense of Congress that the President should develop a diplomatic strategy that includes working with United States allies and partners to conduct joint maritime training and freedom of navigation operations in the Indo-Pacific region, including the East China Sea and the South China Sea, in support of a rules-based international system benefitting all countries.
(a) Definitions.—In this section:
(b) Report.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intelligence, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and other appropriate Federal officials, shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress that contains an assessment of the current and future capabilities and activities of ISIS-linked, al-Qaeda-linked, and other violent extremist groups in Southeast Asia that pose a significant threat to the United States, its allies, and its citizens interests abroad.
(c) Elements.—The report required under subsection (b) shall include—
(1) the current number of ISIS-linked, al-Qaeda-linked, and other violent extremist group-affiliated fighters in Southeast Asia;
(2) an estimate of the number of ISIS-linked, al-Qaeda-linked, and other violent extremist group-affiliated fighters expected to return to Southeast Asia from fighting in the Middle East;
(3) an analysis of the amounts and sources of ISIS-linked, al Qaeda-linked, and other various extremist group affiliated-fighters in Southeast Asia;
(4) the current resources available to combat the threat of ISIS-linked, al-Qaeda-linked, and other violent extremist group-affiliated fighters in Southeast Asia, and the additional resources required to combat such threat;
(5) a detailed assessment of the capabilities of ISIS-linked, al-Qaeda-linked, and other violent extremist group-affiliated fighters to operate effectively in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia;
(a) In general.—The United States Government—
(1) recognizes that the spread of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, and their means of delivery, constitutes a threat to international peace and security;
(2) seeks to peacefully address the unique challenge posed to regional and global stability by the illicit use, and the proliferation to and from North Korea, of sensitive nuclear and missile technologies, and other weapons of mass destruction;
(b) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government should undertake all reasonable and appropriate efforts to pursue effective arms control and nonproliferation policies in the Indo-Pacific region to limit the further spread of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
(a) Findings.—Congress makes the following findings:
(3) Free trade agreements between the United States and 3 nations in the Indo-Pacific region (Australia, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea) have entered into force.
(4) The member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (referred to in this section as “ASEAN”), as a group—
(5) The economy comprised of ASEAN member states grew by 66 percent between 2006 and 2015, and the total value of bilateral trade between the United States and ASEAN member states has increased by 78 percent since 2004.
(6) In 2015, the trade surplus of goods sold by companies in ASEAN member states to consumers in the United States was $77,000,000,000, while the United States 2015 trade surplus of services provided to consumers in ASEAN member states was $8,000,000,000.
(7) According to US-ASEAN Business Council, goods and services exported from the United States to ASEAN member states support 550,000 jobs in the United States.
(8) According to the Business Roundtable—
Congress supports—
(3) negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, including negotiations to enter into appropriate plurilateral and sectoral agreements;
The President should seek to develop to negotiate a comprehensive economic engagement framework with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
(a) In general.—The President should takes steps to strengthen the enforcement of United States intellectual property laws as a top priority, including taking all appropriate action to deter and punish commercial cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property.
(b) Annual report.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the President shall submit a report to Congress that—
(c) Authorization of appropriations.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the United States Trade Representative such amounts as may be necessary to sponsor bilateral and multilateral activities designed to build capacity in the identified priority areas described in the annual report required under subsection (b).
(a) Indo-Pacific energy strategy.—
(1) STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the President shall establish a comprehensive, integrated, multiyear strategy to encourage the efforts of Indo-Pacific countries to implement national power strategies and cooperation with United States energy companies and the Department of Energy national laboratories to develop an appropriate mix of power solutions to provide access to sufficient, reliable, and affordable power in order to reduce poverty, drive economic growth and job creation, and to increase energy security in the Indo-Pacific region.
(b) Reliable energy partnerships.—It is the sense of Congress that the United States should explore opportunities to partner with the private sector and multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to promote universal access to reliable electricity in the Indo-Pacific region, including Myanmar (historically known as “Burma”).
(a) In general.—The Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, should increase regional engagement in the areas of environment, health, education, and infrastructure development with the Lower Mekong countries, including—
(1) assisting in the development of programs that focus on forecasting environmental challenges and resilience;
(2) assisting with transnational cooperation on sustainable uses of forest and water resources with the goal of preserving the biodiversity of the Mekong Basin and access to safe drinking water;
(b) Report.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through 2023, the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit a report to Congress that includes—
It is the sense of Congress that the President should encourage the governments of countries in the Indo-Pacific region and United States private sector interests with operations and investments in the region to deploy agriculture practices that—
SEC. 309. Sense of Congress in support of women’s economic rights.
It is the sense of the Congress that the United States should—
(1) support activities that secure private property rights and land tenure for women in developing countries in Asia, including—
(A) establishing legal frameworks to give women equal rights to own, register, use, profit from, and inherit land and property;
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The promotion of human rights and respect for democratic values in the Indo-Pacific region is in the United States’ national security interest.
(2) Continued support for human rights, democratic values, and good governance is critical to a successful United States diplomatic strategy in the Indo-Pacific.
(3) Strong support for human rights and democracy in the Indo-Pacific region is critical to efforts to reduce poverty, build rule of law, combat corruption, reduce the allure of extremism, and promote economic growth.
(4) There are serious concerns with the rule of law and civil liberties in Cambodia, China, North Korea, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, which have all been identified by Freedom House as “Not Free”.
(5) There have been unacceptable human rights developments in—
(A) Burma (Myanmar), which has been identified by Freedom House as “Partly Free”, and the Department of State has declared that the violence against the Rohingya constitutes ethnic cleansing;
(6) according to the National Security Strategy, the United States—
(A) will “support, with our words and actions, those who live under oppressive regimes and who seek freedom, individual dignity, and the rule of law”;
The President is encouraged to pursue additional efforts to combat trafficking in persons and human slavery in the Indo-Pacific region.
It is the sense of Congress that—
The Secretary of State should, as appropriate—
(1) establish high-level bilateral and regional dialogues with nations in the Indo-Pacific region regarding human rights and religious freedom violations;
(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that the United States should continue to work with ASEAN to improve the capacity of ASEAN to address human rights, democracy, and good governance issues in Southeast Asia.
(b) Strategy.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, after consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit a strategy to the appropriate congressional committees to increase cooperation with ASEAN to promote human rights, democracy, and good governance in Southeast Asia.
The President is encouraged to continue efforts to enhance freedom of information access with regard to North Korea.
(a) Promotion of democracy in the Indo-Pacific region.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appropriated $210,000,000, for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023, to promote democracy, strengthen civil society, human rights, rule of law, transparency, and accountability in the Indo-Pacific region, including for universities, civil society, and multilateral institutions that are focusing on education awareness, training, and capacity building.
(2) DEMOCRACY IN CHINA.—Amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be made available for United States Government efforts, led by the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, to promote democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in the People’s Republic of China.
(3) TIBET.—Amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be made available for nongovernmental organizations to support activities preserving cultural traditions and promoting sustainable development, education, and environmental conservation in Tibetan communities in the Tibet Autonomous Region and in other Tibetan communities in China, India, and Nepal.
(a) Defined term.—In this section, the term “human rights defenders” means individuals, working alone or in groups, who nonviolently advocate for the promotion and protection of universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms if the advocacy of such issues may result in the risk of safety or life.
(b) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that human rights defenders in the Indo-Pacific region have been facing increased difficulties with the rise of unprecedented crackdowns and conflicts.
(c) Authorization of appropriations.—There are authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to provide critical assistance to human rights defenders through the Department of State’s Human Rights Defenders Fund.
(d) Report.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through 2023, the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit a report to Congress that includes—
There are authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to support Indo-Pacific young leaders initiatives, including the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative, the ASEAN Youth Volunteers Program, and other people-to-people exchange programs that focus on building the capacity of democracy, human rights, and good governance activists in the Indo-Pacific region.
Attest:
Clerk.
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