,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #iec ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #d1 #bjbe,mrs4 ,miller of ,west ,virginia 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,panetta1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,nebraska1 ,mr4 ,bera1 ,mr4 ,la,hood1 and ,mr4 ,beyer7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means ,a ,,bill ,to advance ,united ,states long-term trade competitiveness and economic leadership in the ,indo-,pacific region4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,united ,states ,trade ,leadership in the ,indo-,pacific ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states is an ,indo-,pacific power4 7#b7 ,the ,indo-,pacific region1 spanning from our ,pacific ,coastline to the ,indian ,ocean1 is home to over half the world's people1 including nearly #fj percent of youth1 and is at the center of the #bast-century global economy1 accounting for #fj percent of global gross domestic product and two-thirds of the world's economic growth in #bjbb4 7#c7 ,the ,indo-,pacific region also includes some of ,america's closest military allies and partners1 several of the world's largest militaries1 and #e nations allied with the ,united ,states through mutual defense treaties4 ,the region also contains strategic rivals with growing military capabilities1 in particular the ,people's ,republic of ,china 7,,prc74 ,our partners are critical for responding to potential threats in the region1 maintaining credible deterrence1 and for fostering peace4 7#d7 ,there is broad bipartisan agreement that the ,united ,states must have a strong and durable economic strategy in the ,indo-,pacific to advance our commercial1 geostrategic1 and national security interests and support our allies and partners in the region4 7#e7 ,this is especially true and increasingly urgent in the face of heightened aggression and pressure from the ,,prc1 which seeks to expand its influence by actively pursuing trade agreements with key partners in the ,indo-,pacific that establish preferential treatment for goods and services1 deepen supply chain integration1 and establish rules based on the ,,prc's state-led authoritarian economic model that undercut ,america's workers1 businesses1 and economic security4 7#f7 ,for decades1 the ,united ,states has sought to persuade the ,,prc to eliminate harmful trade practices and act responsibly within the global rules-based trading system4 ,unfortunately1 the ,,prc has not substantially changed its behavior and has instead used forced labor1 subsidies and overproduction1 intellectual property theft and the forced transfer of technology1 authoritarian digital governance policies1 economic coercion1 and other unfair practices to advance an economic model that undermines human rights1 ,american industries and workers1 and market-based economies around the world4 7#g7 ,the ,,prc is now actively seeking to increase trade ties in the ,indo-,pacific region as a means to increase its economic influence and increase supply chain dependency on the ,,prc4 ,one of the most prominent examples of the ,,prc's growing economic influence in the ,indo-,pacific region is the ,regional ,comprehensive ,economic ,partnership 7,,rcep71 which entered into force in ,january #bjbb4 ,,rcep is now the largest trade agreement in the world1 encompassing #ae countries that account for #cj percent of the global economy4 ,this agreement will increasingly put the ,united ,states at a competitive disadvantage as the economies of the ,,prc1 ,australia1 ,brunei1 ,cambodia1 ,indonesia1 ,japan1 ,korea1 ,laos1 ,malaysia1 ,myanmar1 ,new ,zealand1 the ,philippines1 ,singapore1 ,thailand1 and ,vietnam grow more integrated4 7#h7 ,the ,,prc is also actively negotiating numerous other regional and bilateral trade agreements throughout the region and is attempting to accede to the ,comprehensive and ,progressive ,agreement for ,trans-,pacific ,partnership 7,,cptpp7 as well as the ,digital ,economic ,partnership ,agreement 7,,depa74 7#i7 ,the ,,prc's aggressive assertion of its economic interests in the ,indo-,pacific through the use of trade agreements underscores the need for the ,united ,states to provide a meaningful and credible alternative to achieve our economic and national security goals4 7#aj7 ,american workers and businesses also face competitive pressures as other countries in the region pursue regional rules and preferential trade agreements without the participation of the ,united ,states4 ,there are now more than #bjj preferential trade agreements in force with at least one party from the region and over #ajj more are under negotiation or pending ratification4 7#aa7 ,to inform future policymaking1 ,congress should work with the administration in a bipartisan manner to examine current ,united ,states economic policy toward the ,indo-,pacific1 the impacts of regional trade agreements on ,american competitiveness1 and policies to advance ,united ,states objectives in the region4 7#ab7 ,through a more comprehensive trade and economic strategy toward the ,indo-,pacific region1 the ,united ,states could exert greater leverage to improve labor rights and help level the playing field for ,american workers1 enhance environmental standards1 counter non-market economies and authoritarianism1 construct more resilient supply chains1 better meet the needs of our allies and partners1 and grow our economy by addressing barriers to trade for ,american products4 #c4 ,investigation of impact of ,indo-,pacific regional agreements on ,united ,states competitiveness ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,united ,states ,international ,trade ,commission shall conduct and conclude an investigation to examine-- 7#a7 how preferential market access provisions1 including tariffs1 quotas1 and services commitments1 in existing ,indo-,pacific regional trade agreements1 including the ,regional ,comprehensive ,economic ,partnership 7,,rcep7 ,agreement and the ,comprehensive and ,progressive ,agreement for ,trans-,pacific ,partnership 7,,cptpp71 affect ,united ,states exports and growth opportunities in the ,indo-,pacific region2 7#b7 how existing non-tariff barriers1 including regulatory practices1 relatively lower labor and environmental standards1 different rules for sectors ranging from agriculture and the digital economy1 and standard-setting in these areas as part of existing ,indo-,pacific regional and bilateral trade agreements1 impact the competitiveness of ,american workers and businesses2 7#c7 the impact of existing ,indo-,pacific regional trade agreements on ,united ,states supply chain resiliency and connectivity1 and in particular its impact on the ,people's ,republic of ,china's role in key global supply chains2 and 7#d7 differences between the ,united ,states-,mexico-,canada ,agreement 7,,usmca7 and ,,cptpp1 ,,rcep1 or other regional trade agreements in the ,indo-,pacific that would likely have a substantial impact on ,united ,states businesses and workers4 #d4 ,indo-,pacific ,trade ,strategy ,commission 7a7 ,establishment 7#a7 ,in general ,there is hereby established an independent commission to be known as the ,indo-,pacific ,trade ,strategy ,commission 7in this section referred to as the ,commission71 to develop findings and recommendations for a comprehensive trade strategy for the ,indo-,pacific region for purposes of-- 7,a7 ensuring sustained ,united ,states economic and geopolitical leadership in the ,indo-,pacific region2 7,b7 promoting ,united ,states innovation1 exports1 and economic opportunities for workers and businesses2 7,c7 countering the ,people's ,republic of ,china's aggressive trade agenda2 7,d7 promoting ,united ,states values1 norms1 and standards2 7,e7 strengthening the ,united ,states economy2 7,f7 bolstering ,united ,states economic and national security1 including by addressing the vulnerabilities identified in the ,g#g ,leaders' ,statement on ,economic ,resilience and ,economic ,security of ,may #bj1 #bjbc2 and 7,g7 promoting ,united ,states supply chain resilience4 7#b7 ,effective date ,this subsection shall take effect on the date that is #cj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 7b7 ,membership 7#a7 ,number and appointment ,the ,commission shall be composed of #ab members appointed as follows3 7,a7 #f members appointed by mutual agreement of the ,chair of the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,ranking ,member of the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate4 7,b7 #f members appointed by mutual agreement of the ,chair of the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate and the ,ranking ,member of the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives4 7,c7 ,none of the appointed members shall be a ,member of the ,house of ,representatives or a ,member of the ,senate4 7#b7 ,qualifications ,the members of the ,commission shall be individuals who have well-documented expertise1 knowledge1 or experience in the ,indo-,pacific region1 and-- 7,a7 international trade2 7,b7 economic and supply chain issues2 7,c7 labor matters2 or 7,d7 environmental policy4 7#c7 ,meetings ,the ,commission shall-- 7,a7 hold public hearings and meetings2 7,b7 hold classified hearings or meetings1 if necessary to discuss classified material or information2 7,c7 provide an opportunity for public comment1 including sharing of research and policy analysis1 through publication of a solicitation for public comments during a period of not less than #de days2 7,d7 consult quarterly with ,congress1 specifically with members of the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives and members of the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate2 and 7,e7 submit1 not later than #ah months after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 a final report to ,congress1 specifically to the members of the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives and members of the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate4