That the Senate—
welcomes the leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to the United States for the special February 2016 U.S.-ASEAN summit meeting at Rancho Mirage, California, and affirms the summit as the first regular U.S.-ASEAN summit;
supports and welcomes the elevation of the United States-ASEAN relationship to a strategic partnership and recommits the United States to ASEAN centrality and to helping to build a strong, stable, politically cohesive, economically integrated, and socially responsible ASEAN community with common rules, norms, procedures, and standards consistent with international law and the principles of a “rule-based” Asia-Pacific community;
supports efforts towards increasing two-way trade and investment, promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, encouraging strong, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth and job creation, and deepening connectivity;
urges ASEAN to continue its efforts to foster greater integration and unity, including with non-ASEAN economic, political, and security partners, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, the European Union, and India, both inside of and outside of Asia;
supports efforts by ASEAN nations to address maritime and territorial disputes in a constructive manner and to pursue claims through peaceful, diplomatic, and legitimate regional and international arbitration mechanisms, consistent with international law;
urges all parties to maritime and territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region to—
respect the status quo;
exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would undermine stability or complicate or escalate disputes through the use of coercion, intimidation, or military force;
cease land reclamation activities; and
refrain from inhabiting or garrisoning or otherwise militarizing uninhabited islands, reefs, shoals, and other features;
opposes actions by any country to prevent any other country from exercising its sovereign rights to the resources of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf by making claims to those areas in the South China Sea that have no support in international law;
opposes unilateral declarations of administrative and military districts in contested areas in the South China Sea;
opposes the imposition of new fishing regulations covering disputed areas in the South China Sea, which have raised tensions in the region;
urges parties to refrain from unilateral actions that cause permanent physical change to the marine environment in areas pending final delimitation;
supports efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the People’s Republic of China to develop an effective Code of Conduct (COC) and urges ASEAN to implement and work toward the expeditious conclusion of an effective Code of Conduct with regards to the South China Sea;
urges ASEAN to develop a common approach to reaffirm the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague’s ruling with respect to the case between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China;
supports efforts by United States partners and allies in ASEAN—
to enhance maritime capability;
to retain 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;
to improve maritime domain awareness;
to counter piracy;
to disrupt illicit maritime trafficking activities and other forms of maritime trafficking activity; and
to enhance the maritime capabilities of a country or regional organizations to respond to emerging threats to maritime security in the Asia-Pacific region;
reaffirms the enhancement of United States-ASEAN economic engagement, including the elimination of barriers to cross-border commerce, and supports the ASEAN Economic Community’s goals, including strong, inclusive, and sustainable growth and cooperation between the United States and ASEAN that focuses on innovation and capacity building efforts in technology, education, disaster management, food security, human rights, and trade facilitation, including for ASEAN's poorest countries;
supports the Lower Mekong Initiative, which has made significant progress in promoting sustainable economic development in mainland Southeast Asia and fostering integrated subregional cooperation and capacity building;
supports capacity building for the promotion and protection of human rights and related priority, programs, and activities;
supports the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative program as an example of people-to-people partnership building that provides skills and networks to a new generation of people who will create and fill the jobs of the future;
reaffirms the commitment of the United States to continue joint efforts with ASEAN to halt human smuggling and trafficking of persons and urges ASEAN to make increased efforts to create and strengthen regional mechanisms to provide assistance and support to refugees and migrants;
urges ASEAN nations to engage directly with leaders of civil society, human rights, and environmental groups before, during, and after the February 2016 summit; and
encourages the President to communicate to ASEAN leaders the importance of releasing political prisoners and ending politically motivated prosecutions.