,h4 ,,res4 #gad ,in the ,house of ,representatives1 ,u4 ,s41 ,december #c1 #bjad ,,resolution ,whereas the maritime domains of the ,asia-,pacific region1 which include both the sea and airspace above the domains1 are critical to the region's prosperity1 stability1 and security1 including global commerce2 ,whereas the maritime domain in the ,asia-,pacific region between the ,pacific and ,indian ,oceans includes critical sea lines of commerce and communication2 ,whereas ,china1 ,vietnam1 the ,philippines1 ,taiwan1 ,malaysia1 and ,brunei have disputed territorial claims over the ,spratly ,islands1 and ,china1 ,taiwan1 and ,vietnam have disputed territorial claims over the ,paracel ,islands2 ,whereas1 although the ,united ,states ,government is not a claimant in maritime disputes in either the ,east ,china or ,south ,china ,seas1 the ,united ,states has an interest in the peaceful diplomatic resolution of disputed claims in accordance with international law1 in freedom of navigation and overflight1 and in the free-flow of commerce free of coercion1 intimidation1 or the use of force2 ,whereas in #bjjb1 the ,association of ,southeast ,asian ,nations 7,,asean7 and ,china agreed to the ,declaration on the ,conduct of ,parties in the ,south ,china ,sea1 and committed to developing an effective ,code of ,conduct2 ,whereas that declaration committed all parties to those territorial disputes to reaffirm their respect for and commitment to the freedom of navigation in and over flight above the ,south ,china ,sea as provided for by the universally recognized principles of international law1 and to resolve their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means1 without resorting to the threat or use of force2 ,whereas since that time1 tensions over the disputed maritime and territorial areas have increased2 ,whereas on ,september #bjaj1 tensions escalated in the ,east ,china ,sea near the ,senkaku 7,diaoyutai7 ,islands1 a territory under the legal administration of ,japan1 when a ,chinese fishing vessel deliberately rammed ,japanese ,coast ,guard patrol boats2 ,whereas on ,february #be1 #bjaa1 a frigate from the ,people's ,liberation ,army ,navy 7,,plan7 fired shots at three fishing boats from the ,philippines2 ,whereas on ,march #b1 #bjaa1 the ,government of the ,philippines reported that two patrol boats from ,china attempted to ram one of its surveillance ships2 ,whereas on ,may #bf1 #bjaa1 a maritime security vessel from ,china cut the cables of an exploration ship from ,vietnam1 the ,binh ,minh1 in the ,south ,china ,sea in waters near ,cam ,ranh ,bay in the exclusive economic zone of ,vietnam2 ,whereas on ,may #ca1 #bjaa1 three ,chinese military vessels used guns to threaten the crews of four ,vietnamese fishing boats while they were fishing in the waters of the ,spratly ,islands2 ,whereas on ,june #i1 #bjaa1 three vessels from ,china1 including one fishing vessel and two maritime security vessels1 ran into and disabled the cables of another exploration ship from ,vietnam1 the ,viking #b1 in the exclusive economic zone of ,vietnam2 ,whereas on ,july #bb1 #bjaa1 an ,indian naval vessel1 sailing about #de nautical miles off the coast of ,vietnam1 was warned by a ,chinese naval vessel that it was allegedly violating ,chinese territorial waters2 ,whereas in ,april #bjab1 tensions escalated between the ,philippines and ,china following a standoff over the ,scarborough ,shoal2 ,whereas in ,june #bjab1 ,vietnam passed a ,maritime law that claimed sovereignty and jurisdiction over the ,paracel and ,spratly ,islands2 ,whereas in ,june #bjab1 ,china's cabinet1 the ,state ,council1 approved the establishment of the city of ,sansha to oversee the areas claimed by ,china in the ,south ,china ,sea2 ,whereas in ,july #bjab1 ,chinese military authorities announced that they had established a corresponding ,people's ,liberation ,army garrison in ,sansha1 in the new prefecture2 ,whereas on ,june #bc1 #bjab1 the ,china ,national ,offshore ,oil ,corporation invited bids for oil exploration in areas within #bjj nautical miles of the continental shelf and within the exclusive economic zone of ,vietnam2 ,whereas in ,january #bjac1 a ,chinese naval ship allegedly fixed its weapons-targeting radar on ,japanese vessels in the vicinity of the ,senkaku islands in the ,east ,china ,sea1 and1 on ,april #bc1 #bjac1 eight ,chinese marine surveillance ships entered the #ab-nautical-mile territorial zone off the ,senkaku ,islands1 further escalating regional tensions2 ,whereas on ,may #i1 #bjac1 a fatal shooting incident occurred in which shots fired from a ,philippine ,coast ,guard patrol boat resulted in the death of a ,taiwanese fisherman2 ,whereas on ,may #a1 #bjad1 ,china's state-owned energy company1 ,,cnooc1 anchored its deepwater drilling rig ,hai ,yang ,shi ,you #iha 7,,hd-#iha7 in ,vietnamese waters and deployed over #hj vessels1 including seven military vessels1 to support its provocative actions and attempt to change the status quo by force2 ,whereas ,chinese vessels accompanying ,hai ,yang ,shi ,you #iha 7,,hd-#iha7 intimidated ,vietnamese ,coast ,guard ships in violation of the ,convention on the ,international ,regulations for ,preventing ,collisions at ,sea1 ramming multiple ,vietnamese vessels1 and using helicopters and water cannons to obstruct others2 ,whereas on ,may #e1 #bjad1 vessels from the ,maritime ,safety ,administration of ,china 7,,msac7 established an exclusion zone with a radius of three nautical miles around ,hai ,yang ,shi ,you #iha 7,,hd-#iha72 ,whereas ,china's actions in support of the ,hai ,yang ,shi ,you #iha 7,,hd-#iha7 drilling activity constitute a unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force2 ,whereas claimants have participated in land reclamation and building up of land features1 and whereas such activities have raised tensions among the claimants2 ,whereas1 without prior consultations with the ,united ,states1 ,japan1 the ,republic of ,korea or other nations of the ,asia-,pacific region1 ,china declared an ,air ,defense ,identification ,zone 7,,adiz7 over the ,east ,china ,sea on ,november #bc1 #bjac2 ,whereas ,china announced that all aircraft1 even if they do not intend to enter the ,,adiz airspace1 would have to submit flight plans1 maintain radio contact1 and follow directions from the ,chinese ,ministry of ,national ,defense2 ,whereas the 8rules of engagement0 declared by ,china1 which at one time included the threat of emergency defensive measures1 are in violation of the concept of due regard for the safety of civil aviation under the ,chicago ,convention of the ,international ,civil ,aviation ,organization and thereby are a departure from accepted practice2 ,whereas ,china's declaration of an ,,adiz over the ,east ,china ,sea has contributed to increased uncertainty and unsafe conditions in the maritime region in ,east ,asia and the broader ,asia-,pacific region2 ,whereas freedom of navigation and other lawful uses of sea and airspace in the ,asia-,pacific region are embodied in international law1 not granted by certain states to others2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government expressed profound concerns with ,china's unilateral1 provocative1 dangerous1 and destabilizing declaration of such a zone1 including the potential for misunderstandings and miscalculations by aircraft operating lawfully in international airspace2 ,whereas ,china's declaration of an ,,adiz in the ,east ,china ,sea will not alter how the ,united ,states ,government conducts operations in the region or the unwavering ,united ,states commitment to peace1 security and stability in the ,asia-,pacific region2 ,whereas other governments in the ,asia-,pacific region1 including the ,governments of ,japan1 ,korea1 ,philippines1 ,australia and ,indonesia have expressed deep concern about ,china's declaration of such a zone1 regarding it as an effort to unduly infringe upon the freedom of flight in international airspace and to change the status quo that could escalate tensions and potentially cause unintentional consequences in the ,east ,china ,sea2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government does not support unilateral actions taken by any claimant seeking to change the status quo through the use of coercion1 intimidation1 or military force2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ,government is deeply concerned about unilateral actions taken by any state to prevent any other state from exercising its sovereign rights to the resources of the exclusive economic zone 7,,eez7 and continental shelf by making claims to those areas that have no apparent basis in international law2 declarations of administrative and military districts in contested areas in the ,south and ,east ,china ,seas2 and the imposition of new fishing regulations covering disputed areas1 which have raised tensions in the region2 ,whereas international law is important to safeguard the rights and freedoms of all states in the ,asia-,pacific region2 ,whereas ,china and ,vietnam have undertaken discussions to reduce tensions between their navies2 ,whereas in ,november #bjad1 the ,united ,states and ,china signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding 7,,mou7 on rules of behavior for safety of air and maritime encounters2 ,whereas the ,,mou currently addresses only maritime behaviors and both sides have agreed to complete an additional annex on air-to-air encounters in #bjae2 ,whereas the ,united ,states welcomes the agreement by ,japan and ,china1 in advance of their bilateral meeting in ,november #bjad1 to reduce tensions over disputed islands in the ,east ,china ,sea and to gradually resume political1 diplomatic and security dialogues2 and ,whereas a peaceful and prosperous ,china1 which acts as a responsible international stakeholder and which respects international laws1 standards1 and institutions1 will enhance security and peace in the ,asia-,pacific region3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 reaffirms the strong support of the ,united ,states for the peaceful resolution of maritime territorial disputes in the ,south ,china ,sea and the ,east ,china ,sea and pledges continued efforts to facilitate a collaborative1 peaceful process to resolve these disputes2 7#b7 reaffirms the strong support for freedom of navigation and over flight and condemns coercive and threatening actions or the use of force to impede these freedoms in international maritime domains and airspace by military or civilian vessels1 to alter the status quo or to destabilize the ,asia-,pacific region2 7#c7 does not recognize the ,east ,china ,sea ,air ,defense ,identification ,zone 7,,adiz7 declared by ,china1 which is contrary to freedom of overflight in international airspace1 and calls on ,china to refrain from taking similar provocative actions elsewhere in the ,asia-,pacific region1 including in the ,south ,china ,sea2 7#d7 urges the ,association of ,southeast ,asian ,nations 7,,asean71 all ,united ,states allies and partners1 and all claimants to amiably and fairly resolve these outstanding disputes1 including through the conclusion of a ,code of ,conduct for the ,south ,china ,sea2 7#e7 urges the conclusion of the annex to the non-binding memorandum of understanding 7,,mou7 between the ,united ,states and ,china on 8rules of behavior for safety of air and maritime encounters0 addressing air-to-air encounters in #bjae2 7#f7 supports the continuation of operations by the ,united ,states to support freedom of navigation in international waters and air space in the ,south ,china ,sea and the ,east ,china ,sea2 and 7#g7 encourages the continuation of efforts by the ,united ,states ,government to strengthen partnerships in the region to build capacity for maritime domain awareness in support of freedom of navigation1 maintenance of peace and stability1 and respect for universally recognized principles of international law4 ,clerk4