[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 139 (Monday, September 9, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5085-H5086]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF TRILATERAL COOPERATION AMONG THE UNITED 
                     STATES, JAPAN, AND SOUTH KOREA

  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1056) recognizing the importance of trilateral 
cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1056

       Whereas, in 2023, South Korea and Japan restarted bilateral 
     summitry for the first time since 2019 with President Yoon 
     Suk Yeol and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio meeting seven 
     times;
       Whereas the two sides have made efforts to address 
     longstanding historical grievances, including the issue of 
     South Koreans forced to work for Japanese companies during 
     World War II;
       Whereas the Governments of Japan and South Korea restored 
     normal economic ties, which had been strained since 2019, by 
     reinstating each other on their respective ``white lists'' of 
     preferential trade partners, with Japan lifting export 
     controls on South Korea related to three materials needed to 
     produce semiconductors and South Korea dropping its case 
     before the World Trade Organization related to those export 
     controls;
       Whereas the United States, Japan, and South Korea have 
     restarted trilateral summitry, holding five trilateral 
     meetings among President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida, and 
     President Yoon since June 2022;
       Whereas, on August 18, 2023, the United States, Japan, and 
     South Korea held the first standalone trilateral leaders 
     summit at Camp David;
       Whereas the three allies issued a trilateral commitment to 
     consult with one another trilaterally ``in an expeditious 
     manner to coordinate our responses to regional challenges, 
     provocations, and threats affecting our collective interests 
     and security'';
       Whereas the three allies improved deterrence and defense 
     capabilities against the growing security threat posed by 
     North Korea by resuming military exercises in 2022;
       Whereas the United States, Japan, and South Korea expanded 
     and developed a multi-year schedule for trilateral military 
     exercises and conducted the first United States-Japan-South 
     Korea aerial exercise in October 2023;
       Whereas the three allies have activated a 2022 agreement to 
     exchange real-time missile warning data focused on North 
     Korean missile launches;
       Whereas, in December 2022, South Korea and Japan published 
     national security documents that closely mirrored those of 
     the United States, setting the stage for greater policy 
     alignment and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific;
       Whereas the three allies announced plans for expanded and 
     more regular summits, including agreeing to hold annual 
     trilateral summit meetings, agreeing to hold annual 
     trilateral meetings among cabinet-level officials, 
     specifically the three countries' foreign ministers, defense 
     ministers, commerce and industry ministers, and national 
     security advisors, and agreeing to hold the first trilateral 
     meeting among finance ministers;
       Whereas the three allies announced a trilateral initiative 
     to synchronize their efforts to build the maritime 
     capabilities of Southeast Asian and Pacific Island countries;
       Whereas South Korea and Japan have resumed cabinet- and 
     subcabinet-level bilateral consultations, including holding a 
     Security Dialogue and a Strategic Dialogue;
       Whereas the Governments of Japan and South Korea announced 
     a new bilateral science and technology cooperative 
     arrangement, including a hydrogen and ammonia global value 
     chain initiative, which includes raising funds for joint 
     projects, and a quantum technology research and development 
     initiative between the two countries' government-affiliated 
     research institutes;
       Whereas South Korea and Japan cooperated to evacuate 
     Japanese and South Korean nationals from Sudan after the 
     eruption of civil conflict in April 2023 and from Israel 
     after Hamas' attack in October 2023;
       Whereas South Korea arranged for the experts dispatched to 
     the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station to monitor 
     TEPCO's release of treated water into the Pacific Ocean;
       Whereas, in December 2023, the United States, Japan, and 
     South Korea held the inaugural meeting of the trilateral 
     Working Group on DPRK Cyber Activities;
       Whereas the three allies have held trilateral dialogues on 
     space security (November 2023) and Indo-Pacific policies 
     (January 2024); and
       Whereas the United States, Japan, and South Korea announced 
     trilateral economic and technology cooperation initiatives, 
     including a supply chain early warning system pilot program, 
     a partnership program among the three countries' national 
     laboratories: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the extraordinary leadership of President of 
     South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and Prime Minister of Japan Kishida 
     Fumio in taking initiative to repair relations between their 
     two countries;
       (2) acknowledges that strengthening relations between Japan 
     and South Korea has enabled greater ambition in trilateral 
     cooperation involving the United States;
       (3) encourages ever greater cooperation between South Korea 
     and Japan and trilateral cooperation across diplomatic, 
     economic, security, and informational domains;
       (4) welcomes ever greater levels of trilateral strategic 
     coordination among the United States, Japan, and South Korea 
     as a stabilizing influence on the Western Pacific region and 
     global order more broadly;
       (5) celebrates the shared democratic, liberal values that 
     are the bedrock of the enduring ties among the United States, 
     Japan, and South Korea; and
       (6) recognizes the critical importance to the interests of 
     the United States and the peace and security of the Western 
     Pacific of United States treaty alliances with South Korea 
     and Japan.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
American Samoa (Mrs. Radewagen) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina 
(Ms. Manning) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from American Samoa.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from American Samoa?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution underscoring 
the vital importance of trilateral cooperation among the U.S., Japan, 
and South Korea. I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) and 
his 22 bipartisan cosponsors for introducing this text, which received 
unanimous support from the Committee on Foreign Affairs at our markup 4 
months ago.
  As the Chinese Communist Party and North Korea work to destabilize 
the Indo-Pacific region, we find ourselves in a pivotal moment where 
democracies must unite against authoritarianism. A trilateral 
partnership among the U.S., Japan, and South Korea exemplifies this 
unity, with two of our allies putting aside their historical 
differences to tackle the pressing challenges of our time.
  This resolution acknowledges that as China and North Korea escalate 
their military activities in the region, our three nations are 
fortifying defense capabilities to deter and address these threats. It 
also promotes increased collaboration in technology, economics, and 
diplomacy while celebrating the shared democratic values that underpin 
our alliances.
  By working with Japan and South Korea, we can dissuade the CCP and 
North Korea from acting recklessly.
  Democracy will, and always will, prevail.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1056, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H5086]]

  

  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1056, 
recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United 
States, Japan, and South Korea, and I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I start by thanking my good friend, Representative 
Connolly, for his leadership on this bipartisan resolution to emphasize 
and recognize the importance of trilateral cooperation for U.S. 
interests in the Indo-Pacific region.
  I also commend the Biden-Harris administration, which has 
successfully revitalized our allies and partnerships in the region 
through proactive and effective diplomacy. The administration has 
significantly advanced America's strategic interests by seizing the 
opportunity provided by the bold leadership of President Yoon and Prime 
Minister Kishida.
  The administration has not only strengthened our bilateral ties with 
Japan and South Korea, but its decision to elevate this trilateral 
relationship has also reshaped the geopolitical landscape in a way that 
supports a rules-based international order.
  Our collaboration with Tokyo and Seoul is essential to addressing 
challenges, from global health crises and environmental threats to 
countering China's economic and military coercion and North Korea's 
nuclear ambitions.
  I express my gratitude to the governments and people of Japan and 
South Korea. Their commitment to upholding shared values, enhancing 
mutual prosperity, and strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific is 
a testament to the power of democratic alliances.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join in supporting this 
important measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no speakers, and I continue to 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Connolly).
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from North Carolina 
for her leadership, and I thank my friend from American Samoa for her 
support for this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, responding to aggression is important. The failure of 
the 1930s must always be in our minds. Democracies failed every test in 
the 1930s: the Spanish Civil War, the Ethiopian invasion by Mussolini, 
the reoccupation of the Rhineland, the carving up of the Sudetenland 
that led up to the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Anschluss. All of 
that led directly to World War II.
  If we want to prevent war, we have to be strong, and we need 
alliances. We need strong alliances.
  The aggression of Xi Jinping and China in the Indo-Pacific region 
must be met by the United States and its allies. The trilateral 
agreement President Biden, Vice President Harris, and this 
administration brokered between two not particularly friendly allies, 
Japan and South Korea, is an extraordinary achievement because they 
have history. It is built on the foundation of AUKUS, the 
reintroduction of U.S. military bases in the Philippines, rapprochement 
between the United States and Vietnam, and meeting Chinese aggression 
in the air and at sea to insist that the South China Sea is not a 
Chinese private lake. It is international territorial waters. The 
United States will insist on the rule of law throughout that region.
  We, too, are a Pacific nation, and any nation that misjudges that or 
forgets that does so at its own peril, as history has taught us.
  So this resolution, I think, is an important statement by this body 
in recognizing that we will meet aggression. We will deter aggression. 
We seek peaceful coexistence, but we are going to build strong 
alliances to insist peaceful coexistence is possible.
  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I 
reserve the right to close.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
for the purpose of closing.

  Mr. Speaker, in the Indo-Pacific and around the world, the United 
States is more secure when we build partnerships and work with our 
allies.
  H. Res. 1056 recognizes the importance of trilateral cooperation 
between the United States, Japan, and South Korea to uphold regional 
security, strengthen our economies, and work toward a free, open, and 
peaceful Indo-Pacific region.
  By passing this resolution, we send a clear bipartisan message that 
Congress supports trilateral cooperation and that the U.S., Japan, and 
South Korea are not only aligned behind a shared vision but that we 
have the resolve to uphold it.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1056, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. RADEWAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Connolly as well as Chairman McCaul and 
Ranking Member Meeks for this opportunity to recognize the importance 
of trilateral cooperation between the United States and our allies 
South Korea and Japan.
  Our shared democratic values and strategic cooperation are critical 
to the peace and security of the Western Pacific, especially as we face 
challenges and provocations posed by the Chinese Communist Party and 
North Korea.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge unanimous support for this resolution, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from American Samoa (Mrs. Radewagen) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1056.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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