S.Amdt. 2487

1. Adds SEC. ___. RESOLVING MARITIME DISPUTES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION wherever appropriate

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. ___. RESOLVING MARITIME DISPUTES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION.

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:

   Inserted: (1) Relevant parties in the Asia-Pacific maritime region should be encouraged to explore cooperative arrangements for the responsible exploitation of energy and fishery resources in order to promote peaceful coexistence and economic growth. Such arrangements should not impinge upon sovereignty claims and should be negotiated in a mutually agreeable manner.

   Inserted: (2) Congress welcomes formal consultations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the People's Republic of China on the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, welcomes ASEAN's leadership, and strongly supports the 23rd ASEAN Summit's chairman's October 9, 2013 statement, more than 10 years after the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which--

   Inserted: (A) "reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, and maritime security in the region. . ."; and

   Inserted: (B) calls for "intensifying official consultations with China on the development of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) with a view to its early conclusion.".

   Inserted: (b) Statement of United States Policy.--Congress declares that the United States--

   Inserted: (1) has a national interest in--

   Inserted: (A) the freedom of navigation and overflight in the Asia-Pacific maritime domains;

   Inserted: (B) supporting the peaceful resolution of territorial, sovereignty, and jurisdictional disputes in the Asia-Pacific maritime domains in accordance with international law, including through international arbitration;

   Inserted: (C) condemning the use of coercion, threats, or force in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, or other maritime areas in the Asia-Pacific region to assert disputed maritime or territorial claims or alter the status quo;

   Inserted: (D) urging all parties to maritime and territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would undermine stability or complicate or escalate disputes;

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   Inserted: (E) continuing to develop partnerships with other countries for maritime domain awareness and capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region; and

   Inserted: (F) continuing the operations of the United States Armed Forces in the Asia-Pacific region, including in partnership with the armed forces of other countries to promote peace, stability, and unimpeded lawful commerce in the Asia-Pacific region;

   Inserted: (2) declares that the United States does not take a position on competing territorial claims over land features and has no territorial ambitions in the South China Sea; and

   Inserted: (3) strongly supports the ASEAN member states and the Government of the People's Republic of China as they seek to develop a code of conduct of parties in the South China Sea.

   Inserted: (c) Report.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit a classified report on the United States strategy to ensure maritime security in the Asia-Pacific region to--

   Inserted: (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;

   Inserted: (B) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;

   Inserted: (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and

   Inserted: (D) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.

   Inserted: (2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1) shall include--

   Inserted: (A) a description of the security situation in the maritime domains of Asia-Pacific;

   Inserted: (B) a description of the initiatives and efforts by the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and other relevant agencies to implement the United States strategy, including--

   Inserted: (i) maritime domain awareness and capacity building efforts;

   Inserted: (ii) support for United States Armed Forces operations in the region;

   Inserted: (iii) efforts to support ASEAN and all claimants in concluding a Code of Conduct with the People's Republic of China;

   Inserted: (iv) efforts to support collaborative diplomatic processes by all claimants in the South China Sea; and

   Inserted: (v) an assessment of the impact of those initiatives and efforts; and

   Inserted: (C) a description of projected efforts planned to continue the implementation of the strategy.

   The amendment doesn't say where this goes; the clerk decides.

   Original wording

   At the appropriate place, insert the following:

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As printed