[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 53 (Thursday, March 23, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PROVIDING APPROPRIATE RECOGNITION AND TREATMENT NEEDED TO ENHANCE 
                        RELATIONS WITH ASEAN ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOAQUIN CASTRO

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 22, 2023

  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call for passage of 
the PARTNER with ASEAN Act, bipartisan legislation I introduced with 
Congresswoman Young Kim of California to strengthen the longstanding 
relationship between the United States and the Association of Southeast 
Asian Nations (ASEAN).
  For nearly six decades, ASEAN has worked to promote stability, 
prosperity, and multilateral cooperation in Southeast Asia and has 
become a critical part of the diplomatic architecture of the broader 
Indo-Pacific. Together, the ten member nations of ASEAN represent the 
world's fourth-largest market, and U.S. trade with ASEAN accounts for 
hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Last fall, the U.S. and ASEAN 
agreed to elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic 
Partnership.
  In 2017, I co-founded the Congressional ASEAN Caucus with 
Congresswoman Ann Wagner to foster greater dialogue on Capitol Hill 
around issues related to Southeast Asia. Today's consideration of the 
PARTNER with ASEAN Act comes from years of bipartisan work by our 
Caucus, and I also want to recognize the contributions of the bill's 
original co-sponsor Representative Steve Chabot, who was a leader on 
Asia policy issues in Congress for many years.
  The United States was the first non-member country to appoint an 
ambassador to ASEAN, and Congress has long recognized the regional and 
global importance of ASEAN. Despite the bipartisan consensus about the 
importance of ASEAN centrality, the United States has yet to accord 
ASEAN the routine diplomatic privileges that we provide to similar 
groupings like the Organization of American States, African Union, or 
European Union.
  The PARTNER with ASEAN Act would authorize ASEAN to be designated as 
an international organization with full diplomatic privileges and open 
new avenues for U.S.-ASEAN cooperation, including the potential 
establishment of an ASEAN mission in the United States. It has 
bipartisan support in the Senate, where a companion bill was introduced 
earlier this month, and President Biden has committed to signing the 
bill into law once it reaches his desk.
  At a time of increased global focus on the Indo-Pacific, the PARTNER 
with ASEAN Act makes a simple change that will have an outsized impact 
on our international relations. I thank Congresswoman Kim for her 
partnership on this bill, and I also want to recognize the work of Erik 
Ashida, who served on my staff until last month and played an 
instrumental role in moving this legislation forward.
  I urge my colleagues to support the swift and bipartisan passage of 
the PARTNER with ASEAN Act and applaud the longstanding commitment of 
this body to maintaining strong relationships with our partners in the 
Indo-Pacific.

                          ____________________