[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 23, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3076-S3077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 5927. Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself and Mr. Curtis) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of title XII, add the following:
Subtitle F--South China Sea Strategy Act of 2026
SEC. 1281. SHORT TITLE.
This subtitle may be cited as the ``South China Sea
Strategy Act of 2026''.
SEC. 1282. UNITED STATES POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to support the importance of the freedom of navigation,
overflight, and unfettered commerce in the South China Sea,
in a manner consistent with international law to preserve
United States economic interests in the region;
(2) to commit to a rules-based approach to resolving
maritime disputes;
(3) to counter efforts by the People's Republic of China
(PRC) to unilaterally change the status quo and treat the
South China Sea as its unilateral dominion, undermining
regional stability and contravening the PRC's prior
commitments to resolve disputes peacefully and through
appropriate legal venues; and
(4) to engage with allies and partners in a concerted,
coordinated manner to support a strategic, consistent
approach to diplomatic engagement on issues and crises that
affect United States interests in the South China Sea,
including to ensure the safety of United States citizens in
the region.
SEC. 1283. SOUTH CHINA SEA DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense, submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a Strategy for
Diplomatic Engagement on the South China Sea to ensure that
the United States Government is operating strategically to
maximize our efficient engagement on South China Sea matters.
(b) Elements.--The Strategy listed in subsection (a)
shall--
(1) describe the overarching goals of United States
engagement with allies and partners, including with littoral
states, on security, diplomatic, legal, and economic matters
in the South China Sea;
(2) designate an office at the Department of State tasked
with the lead responsibility for coordinating the execution
of each goal described in paragraph (1);
(3) analyze the successes of the Department of State's
existing mechanisms, programs, and forums for advancing
United States goals in the South China Sea through bilateral,
multilateral, subnational, civil society, and private sector
avenues with allies and partners, including littoral states,
and identify gaps in engagement;
(4) detail plans to deepen bilateral engagement with each
littoral state around pressures, threats, and opportunities
in the South China Sea identified as priorities in previous
bilateral engagements;
(5) detail plans to convene and increase the frequency of
collective engagements with littoral states, including Taiwan
and additional
[[Page S3077]]
allies and partners as appropriate, around themes of shared
importance, including--
(A) bolstering defense capabilities;
(B) reinforcing maritime law enforcement capacity and
governance;
(C) responding to grey-zone tactics, including coordinated
illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing;
(D) managing maritime territorial disputes to reduce the
likelihood of security crises and conflicts;
(E) preparing crisis management and response mechanisms to
avoid unnecessary escalation;
(F) building resilience to foreign malign influence and
interference in the South China Sea;
(G) supporting economic development and resilience to
economic coercion from foreign adversaries; and
(H) addressing additional factors assessed by the Secretary
of State to be causing a direct risk to United States
interests in the South China Sea; and
(6) detail plans for coordination with the interagency and
foreign governments to address crisis management for
scenarios below the threshold of armed conflict that would
require heightened interagency and international engagement.
(c) Classification.--The strategy submitted under
subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form but
may include a classified annex.
SEC. 1284. STRATEGY EXECUTION.
(a) Identification of Necessary Programs and Resources.--
Not later than 360 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of State shall identify and submit to
the appropriate congressional committees any necessary
program, policy, or budgetary resources required to support
implementation of the Strategy for Diplomatic Engagement on
the South China Sea for fiscal years 2027, 2028, and 2029.
(b) Briefing.--Not later than 30 days after the submission
of the assessment described in subsection (a), the Secretary
of State shall brief the appropriate congressional committees
on the implementation of the Strategy for Diplomatic
Engagement on the South China Sea.
SEC. 1285. DEFINITIONS.
In this subtitle:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Littoral states.--The term ``littoral states'' means--
(A) Brunei;
(B) Indonesia;
(C) Malaysia;
(D) the Philippines; and
(E) Vietnam.
SEC. 1286. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
(a) Rule of Construction Regarding Continued United States
Policy Toward Taiwan and the Government of the PRC.--Nothing
in this subtitle may be construed as a change to the One
China Policy of the United States, which is guided by the
Taiwan Relations Act (22 U.S.C. 3301 et seq.), the three
United States-People's Republic of China Joint Communiques,
and the Six Assurances.
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