Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations with ASEAN Act” or the “PARTNER with ASEAN Act”.
Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations with ASEAN Act
A BILL
To provide for the treatment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an international organization for purposes of the International Organizations Immunities Act, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Statement of policy on deepening cooperation with ASEAN
It is the policy of the United States—
to reaffirm the United States-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in 2022 following 45 years of Dialogue Partnership;
to enhance United States-ASEAN cooperation in support of an open, transparent, resilient, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific;
to support regular, high-level United States official engagement with ASEAN, including the participation in the annual ASEAN Summit held each year;
to enhance cooperation with ASEAN member states as well as with the institution of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat, including through the United States Mission to ASEAN, led by the United States Ambassador to ASEAN; and
to welcome the decision in-principle by ASEAN to admit Timor-Leste to be ASEAN’s 11th member state and to encourage United States support to Timor-Leste in its capacity as an official ASEAN observer.
Sec. 3 Sense of Congress on the establishment of an ASEAN delegation to the United States
It is the sense of Congress that it is in the United States interest to encourage the establishment, at the earliest opportunity, of an ASEAN delegation to the United States, to enhance cooperation between ASEAN and the United States at all levels.
Sec. 4 Extension of diplomatic immunities to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The provisions of the International Organizations Immunities Act (22 U.S.C. 288 et seq.) may be extended to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the same manner, to the same extent, and subject to the same conditions as such provisions may be extended to a public international organization in which the United States participates pursuant to any treaty or under the authority of any Act of Congress authorizing such participation or making an appropriation for such participation.