Providing Appropriate Recognition and Treatment Needed to Enhance Relations with Asean Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 406, the PARTNER with ASEAN Act, introduced by Mr. Castro and Mrs. Kim.

Of course, I join with Mrs. Wagner in wishing Mr. Castro a speedy recovery and return to this body very soon.

This legislation will solidify this body's strong bipartisan commitment to deepening our longstanding cooperation with Southeast Asia and facilitate stronger people-to-people ties with this vast, diverse region.

Southeast Asia is vital to the United States national interests and strategic priorities. The 10 Southeast Asian nations that comprise the important regional body of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have an outsized role in shaping crucial political, economic, and security developments in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

The United States has long recognized ASEAN's central role in promoting peace, security, and stability in the region. This bill would allow us to deepen our collaboration and partnership on shared challenges.

H.R. 406 underscores the importance of the United States and ASEAN's partnership by authorizing that ASEAN be designated as an international organization with diplomatic privileges and immunities consistent with the International Organizations Immunities Act.

The IOIA, which was enacted in 1945, is how the United States extends the rights and treatment generally accorded to embassies of countries that have diplomatic relations with the United States to international organizations.

This is a long-overdue change that our partners in ASEAN and the Biden administration strongly support. With the passage of this legislation, the United States would affirm our longstanding relationship and upgrade our capacity to collaborate with ASEAN. Robust and consistent engagement with Southeast Asia is critical to realizing our Indo-Pacific strategy. This measure ensures that America remains a Pacific power and a critical player in Southeast Asia as we address the challenge of China.

We need to work collectively with ASEAN so that we can tackle shared challenges such as economic resiliency, global health, climate change, and attacks against the rules-based international order. Our partnership with ASEAN will be essential in delivering sustainable solutions to our combined 1 billion people.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 406 is a very important, bipartisan measure that affirms the importance of the United States and ASEAN's partnership by extending privileges and immunities under the International Organizations Immunities Act to ASEAN.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, I recall myself going to Cambodia to attend the session with ASEAN where they extended the opportunity for us to be official observers at their annual meetings and conferences.

This just emphasizes how the United States has long recognized and-- ASEAN also--appreciates our engagement with this diverse regional body and demonstrated strong support for ASEAN centrality. This measure demonstrates our commitment to this organization and pivotal region.

Mr. Speaker, there is no better way to honor over 45 years of the United States-ASEAN's relations and build upon our partnership than passing this important bipartisan legislation so they know that jointly the United States Congress recognizes the significance and importance of our partnership.

Again, I thank Mr. Castro--we want him back here soon--and Representative Young Kim for their hard work on this bill to send the appropriate message. I hope that all of my colleagues will join us in support of this very important bipartisan bill.

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