Title III — Pub. L. 115-409

SEC. 301. Findings; Sense of Congress.

(a)

Findings.— Congress makes the following findings:

(1)

According to the United States Chamber of Commerce, by 2030—

(A)

66 percent of the global middle class population will be living in Asia; and

(B)

59 percent of middle class consumption will take place in Asia.

(2)

According to the Asian Development Bank—

(A)

Asian countries have signed 140 bilateral or regional trade agreements; and

(B)

75 more trade agreements with Asian countries are under negotiation or concluded and awaiting entry into force.

(3)

Free trade agreements between the United States and 3 nations in the Indo-Pacific region (Australia, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea) have entered into force.

(4)

The member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (referred to in this section as “ASEAN”), as a group—

(A)

represent the fifth largest economy in the world; and

(B)

have a combined gross domestic product of $2,400,000,000,000.

(5)

The economy comprised of ASEAN member states grew by 66 percent between 2006 and 2015, and the total value of bilateral trade between the United States and ASEAN member states has increased by 78 percent since 2004.

(6)

In 2015, the trade surplus of goods sold by companies in ASEAN member states to consumers in the United States was $77,000,000,000, while the United States 2015 trade surplus of services provided to consumers in ASEAN member states was $8,000,000,000.

(7)

According to US-ASEAN Business Council, goods and services exported from the United States to ASEAN member states support 550,000 jobs in the United States.

(8)

According to the Business Roundtable—

(A)

the United States, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam were responsible for a combined 40 percent of global gross domestic product in 2017; and

(B)

United States bilateral trade with the other nations referred to in subparagraph (A) supports 15,600,000 jobs in the United States.

(9)

According to the United States National Security Strategy—

(A)

ASEAN and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation “remain centerpieces of the Indo-Pacific’s regional architecture and platforms for promoting an order based on freedom”; and

(B)

the United States will “work with partners to build a network of states dedicated to free markets and protected from forces that would subvert their sovereignty.”.

(b)

Sense of Congress.— It is the sense of Congress that trade between the United States and the nations in the Indo-Pacific region is vitally important to the United States economy, United States exports, and jobs in the United States.

SEC. 302. Indo-Pacific Trade Negotiations, Multilateral Agreements, and Regional Economic Summits.

Congress supports—

(1)

multilateral, bilateral, or regional trade agreements with partners that—

(A)

comply with trade obligations and respect, promote, and strictly adhere to the rule of law; and

(B)

increase United States employment and expand the economy;

(2)

formal economic dialogues that include concrete, verifiable, and measured outcomes;

(3)

negotiations under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, including negotiations to enter into appropriate plurilateral and sectoral agreements;

(4)

full implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement by Indo-Pacific countries; and

(5)

the proactive, strategic, and continuing high-level use of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the East Asia Summit, and the Group of 20 to pursue United States economic objectives in the Indo-Pacific region.

SEC. 303. United States-Asean Economic Partnership.

The President should seek to develop to negotiate a comprehensive economic engagement framework with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

SEC. 304. Trade Capacity Building and Trade Facilitation.

(a)

In General.— The President is encouraged to produce a robust and comprehensive trade capacity building and trade facilitation strategy, including leveling the playing field for American companies competing in the Indo-Pacific region.

(b)

Authorization of Appropriations.— There are authorized to be appropriated such amounts as may be necessary to carry out subsection (a).

SEC. 305. Intellectual Property Protection.

(a)

In General.— The President should takes steps to strengthen the enforcement of United States intellectual property laws as a top priority, including taking all appropriate action to deter and punish commercial cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property.

(b)

Annual Report.— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the President shall submit a report to Congress that—

(1)

describes the efforts of the United States Government to combat intellectual property violations and commercial cyber-enabled theft in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly the People’s Republic of China; and

(2)

includes a country-by-country assessment of priority areas for United States engagement and capacity building assistance.

(c)

Authorization of Appropriations.— There are authorized to be appropriated to the United States Trade Representative such amounts as may be necessary to sponsor bilateral and multilateral activities designed to build capacity in the identified priority areas described in the annual report required under subsection (b).

SEC. 306. Energy Programs and Initiatives.

(a)

Indo-Pacific Energy Strategy.—

(1)

Strategy.— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the President shall establish a comprehensive, integrated, multiyear strategy to encourage the efforts of Indo-Pacific countries to implement national power strategies and cooperation with United States energy companies and the Department of Energy national laboratories to develop an appropriate mix of power solutions to provide access to sufficient, reliable, and affordable power in order to reduce poverty, drive economic growth and job creation, and to increase energy security in the Indo-Pacific region.

(2)

Authorization of appropriations.— There are authorized to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to carry out paragraph (1).

(b)

Reliable Energy Partnerships.— It is the sense of Congress that the United States should explore opportunities to partner with the private sector and multilateral institutions, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to promote universal access to reliable electricity in the Indo-Pacific region, including Myanmar (historically known as “Burma”).

SEC. 307. Lower Mekong Initiative.

(a)

In General.— The Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, should increase regional engagement in the areas of environment, health, education, and infrastructure development with the Lower Mekong countries, including—

(1)

assisting in the development of programs that focus on forecasting environmental challenges and resilience;

(2)

assisting with transnational cooperation on sustainable uses of forest and water resources with the goal of preserving the biodiversity of the Mekong Basin and access to safe drinking water;

(3)

assisting with education enrollment and broadband internet connectivity, particularly English training and connectivity in rural communities; and

(4)

improving global health in the Lower Mekong countries, including—

(A)

reducing the HIV/AIDS infection rate; and

(B)

helping regional partners to track and treat malaria and tuberculosis.

(b)

Report.— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through 2023, the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit a report to Congress that includes—

(1)

a list and evaluation of Lower Mekong Initiative activities since its inception in 2009;

(2)

a strategy for any increased regional engagement and measures of success for the activities described in paragraph (1); and

(3)

an accounting of funds used to execute Lower Mekong Initiative activities.

SEC. 308. Sense of Congress on Economic Growth and Natural Resource Conservation.

It is the sense of Congress that the President should encourage the governments of countries in the Indo-Pacific region and United States private sector interests with operations and investments in the region to deploy agriculture practices that—

(1)

conserve natural resources; and

(2)

preserve culturally and ecological valuable lands and water bodies.

SEC. 309. Sense of Congress in Support of Women’s Economic Rights.

It is the sense of the Congress that the United States should—

(1)

support activities that secure private property rights and land tenure for women in developing countries in Asia, including—

(A)

establishing legal frameworks to give women equal rights to own, register, use, profit from, and inherit land and property;

(B)

improving legal literacy to enable women to exercise the rights described in subparagraph (A); and

(C)

increasing the capacity of law enforcement and community leaders to enforce such rights;

(2)

work with Asian civil society, governments, and multilateral organizations to increase the capability of disadvantaged women and girls in Asia—

(A)

to realize their rights;

(B)

to determine their life outcomes;

(C)

to assume leadership roles; and

(D)

to influence decision-making in their households, communities, and societies; and

(3)

seek to expand access to appropriate financial products and services for women-owned micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in Asia.

Title III — Promoting United States Economic Interests in the Indo-Pacific Region

TITLE III Promoting United States Economic Interests in the Indo-Pacific Region