#aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  ,h4   
,r4 #afcb  ,,an ,,act  ,to require a    
strategy for engagement with ,southeast 
,asia and the ,association of ,southeast
 ,asian ,nations 7,,asean74  #a4 ,short 
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,southeast ,asia ,strategy ,act4  #b4   
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,southeast ,asia is the fulcrum  
of the ,indo-,pacific region1 providing 
both a geographic and maritime link     
between ,east and ,south ,asia4  7#b7   
,the ,association of ,southeast ,asian  
,nations 7,,asean71 a regional          
intergovernmental organization1 remains 
central to the ,indo-,pacific region's  
institutional architecture and to       
,united ,states foreign policy toward   
the region4  7#c7 ,the ,united ,states  
has reaffirmed that the security and    
sovereignty of its ,southeast ,asian    
allies and partners1 including a strong1
 independent ,,asean1 remain vital to   
the security1 prosperity1 and stability 
of the ,indo-,pacific region4  7#d7 ,the

 ,united ,states has committed to       
continuing to deepen longstanding       
alliances and partnerships with a range 
of ,southeast ,asian nations1 including 
by promoting our shared values1         
democracy1 human rights1 and civil      
society4  7#e7 ,since the end of the    
,second ,world ,war1 ,united ,states    
investments in strengthening alliances  
and partnerships with ,southeast ,asian 
nations have yielded tremendous returns 
for ,united ,states interests1 as       
working with and through these alliances
 and partnerships have increased the    
region's capacity and capability to     
address common challenges4  7#f7 ,,asean
 member states are critical ,united     
,states security partners in preventing 
violent extremism and protecting the    
freedom and openness of the maritime    
domain and in preventing the trafficking
 of weapons of mass destruction4  7#g7  
,,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  
,management1 an inter-governmental      
organization that facilitates           
coordination and cooperation among      
,,asean member states and international 
organizations in times of emergency4    
7#h7 ,according to the #bjah ,,asean    
,business ,outlook ,survey1 ,,asean     
member states are vital to the          
prosperity of the ,united ,states       
economy and exports to ,,asean economies
 support more than #ejj1jjj jobs in the 
,united ,states4  7#i7 ,the ,united     
,states and ,,asean have recently       
celebrated the #djth anniversary of     
their ties and established a new        
strategic partnership that will enhance 
cooperation across the economic1        
political-security1 and people-to-people
 pillars of the relationship4  #c4      
,statement of policy ,it is the policy  
of the ,united ,states to--  7#a7 deepen
 cooperation with ,,asean and ,,asean   

member states in the interest of        
promoting peace1 security1 and stability
 in the ,indo-,pacific region2  7#b7    
affirm the importance of ,,asean        
centrality and ,,asean-led mechanisms in
 the evolving institutional architecture
 of the ,indo-,pacific region2 and  7#c7
 establish and communicate a            
comprehensive strategy toward the       
,indo-,pacific region that articulates--
 7,a7 the role and importance of        
,southeast ,asia to the ,united ,states2
  7,b7 the value of the ,united         
,states-,,asean relationship2  7,c7 the 
mutual interests of all parties2  7,d7  
the concrete and material benefits all  
nations derive from strong ,united      
,states engagement and leadership in    
,southeast ,asia2 and  7,e7 efforts to  
forge and maintain ,,asean consensus1   
especially on key issues of political   
and security concern to the region1 such
 as the ,south ,china ,sea4  #d4        
,strategy for engagement with ,southeast
 ,asia and ,,asean  7a7 ,in general ,not

 later than #ahj days after the date of 
the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,state1 in consultation   
with the heads of other ,federal        
departments and agencies as appropriate1
 shall develop and submit to the        
appropriate congressional committees a  
comprehensive strategy for engagement   
with ,southeast ,asia and ,,asean4  7b7 
,matters ,to be included ,the strategy  
required by subsection 7a7 shall include
 the following3  7#a7 ,a statement of   
enduring ,united ,states interests in   
,southeast ,asia and a description of   
efforts to bolster the effectiveness of 
,,asean4  7#b7 ,a description of efforts
 to--  7,a7 deepen and expand ,southeast
 ,asian alliances1 partnerships1 and    
multilateral engagements1 including     
efforts to expand broad based and       
inclusive economic growth1 security     
ties1 security cooperation and          
interoperability1 economic connectivity1
 and expand opportunities for ,,asean to
 work with other like-minded partners in

 the region2 and  7,b7 encourage        
like-minded partners outside of the     
,indo-,pacific region to engage with    
,,asean4  7#c7 ,a summary of initiatives
 across the whole of the ,united ,states
 ,government to strengthen the ,united  
,states partnership with ,southeast     
,asian nations and ,,asean1 including to
 promote broad based and inclusive      
economic growth1 trade1 investment1     
energy and efforts to combat climate    
change1 public-private partnerships1    
physical and digital infrastructure     
development1 education1 disaster        
management1 public health and economic  
and political diplomacy in ,southeast   
,asia4  7#d7 ,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 sanctions1 and initiatives 
to cooperate with ,,asean as an         
institution in these areas4  7#e7 ,a    
summary of initiatives across the whole 

of the ,united ,states ,government to   
promote human rights and democracy1 to  
strengthen the rule of law1 civil       
society1 and transparent governance1 and
 to protect the integrity of elections  
from outside influence4  7#f7 ,a summary
 of initiatives to promote security     
cooperation and security assistance     
within ,southeast ,asian nations1       
including--  7,a7 maritime security and 
maritime domain awareness initiatives   
for protecting the maritime commons and 
supporting international law and freedom
 of navigation in the ,south ,china     
,sea2 and  7,b7 efforts to combat       
terrorism1 human trafficking1 piracy1   
and illegal fishing1 and promote more   
open1 reliable routes for sea lines of  
communication4  7c7 ,appropriate        
congressional committees defined ,in    
this section1 the term appropriate      
congressional committees means-- 7#a7   
the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs and 
the ,committee on ,armed ,services of   
the ,house of ,representatives2 and     

7#b7 the ,committee on ,foreign         
,relations and the ,committee on ,armed 
,services of the ,senate4  ,passed the  
,house of ,representatives ,september   
#bd1 #bjai4;,clerk4