Sec. 2. FINDINGS

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## SEC. 2 FINDINGS Congress makes the following findings: ####

(1)The Indo-Pacific region— #####

(A)represents nearly 50 percent of the global population; #####

(B)is home to some of the most dynamic economies in the world; and #####

(C)poses security challenges that threaten to undermine United States national security interests, regional peace, and global stability. ####

(2)The core tenets of the United States-backed international system are being challenged, including by— #####

(A)China’s illegal construction and militarization of artificial features in the South China Sea and coercive economic practices; #####

(B)North Korea’s acceleration of its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities; and #####

(C)the increased presence throughout Southeast Asia of the Islamic State (referred to in this Act as “ISIS”) and other international terrorist organizations that threaten the United States. ####

(3)The economic order in the Indo-Pacific region continues to transform, presenting opportunities and challenges to United States economic interests. ####

(4)The United States has a fundamental interest in defending human rights and promoting the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region. Although many countries in the region have improved the treatment of their citizens, several Indo-Pacific governments continue to commit human rights abuses and place restrictions on basic human rights and political and civil liberties. ####

(5)Without strong leadership from the United States, the international system, fundamentally rooted in the rule of law, may wither, to the detriment of United States, regional, and global interests. It is imperative that the United States continue to play a leading role in the Indo-Pacific region by— #####

(A)defending peace and security; #####

(B)advancing economic prosperity; and #####

(C)promoting respect for fundamental human rights. ####

(6)In 2017, the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate held a series of hearings on United States leadership in the Indo-Pacific region, in which— #####

(A)experts, including Representative Randy Forbes, Ambassador Robert Gallucci, Ms. Tami Overby, Dr. Robert Orr, Ambassador Derek Mitchell, Ambassador Robert King, Mr. Murray Hiebert, and others detailed the security challenges, economic opportunities, and imperatives of promoting the rule of law, human rights, and democracy, in the Indo-Pacific region; and #####

(B)Dr. Graham Allison, the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, testified, “As realistic students of history, Chinese leaders recognize that the role the United States has played since World War II as the architect and underwriter of regional stability and security has been essential to the rise of Asia, including China itself. But they believe that as the tide that brought the United States to Asia recedes, America must leave with it. Much as Britain’s role in the Western Hemisphere faded at the beginning of the twentieth century, so must America’s role in Asia as the region’s historic superpower resumes its place.”. ####

(7)The United States National Security Strategy (referred to in this Act as the “National Security Strategy”), which was released in December 2017, states— #####

(A)“A geopolitical competition between free and repressive visions of world order is taking place in the Indo-Pacific region. The region, which stretches from the west coast of India to the western shores of the United States, represents the most populous and economically dynamic part of the world. The United States interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific extends back to the earliest days of our republic.”; and #####

(B)“Our vision for the Indo-Pacific excludes no nation. We will redouble our commitment to established alliances and partnerships, while expanding and deepening relationships with new partners that share respect for sovereignty, fair and reciprocal trade, and the rule of law. We will reinforce our commitment to freedom of the seas and the peaceful resolution of territorial and maritime disputes in accordance with international law. We will work with allies and partners to achieve complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and preserve the non-proliferation regime in Northeast Asia.”. # TITLE I UNITED STATES POLICY AND DIPLOMATIC STRATEGY IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION