[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 843 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 843
Reaffirming the United States-Philippines alliance and condemning the
gray zone campaign of the People's Republic of China in the South China
Sea against the Philippines, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 3, 2023
Mr. Issa (for himself, Mr. Bera, Mr. Waltz, and Mr. Vargas) submitted
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Reaffirming the United States-Philippines alliance and condemning the
gray zone campaign of the People's Republic of China in the South China
Sea against the Philippines, and for other purposes.
Whereas the United States and the Philippines have a longstanding alliance,
characterized by a robust and multifaceted relationship between the 2
societies, including shared values, familial and generational ties,
mutual defense commitments, and shared economic interests that have
enriched the lives of the people of both the United States and the
Philippines;
Whereas, in 1946, the Philippines became an independent republic and established
diplomatic relations with the United States;
Whereas, in 1951, the United States and the Philippines signed a Mutual Defense
Treaty, pledging mutual support in case of an armed attack;
Whereas, during World War II, the United States and the Philippines fought side-
by-side in the defense of a free and open Indo-Pacific;
Whereas, during World War II, Philippine resistance units made tremendous
sacrifices and were critical to victory in the Pacific and the
liberation of the Philippines;
Whereas the Philippines and the Republic of China participated in the Allied war
effort, which resulted in victory including the successful liberation of
China;
Whereas the People's Republic of China (PRC) now seeks to unlawfully extend its
territorial and sovereignty claims, including against the Philippines;
Whereas, under its ``nine-dash line'' construct, the PRC makes erroneous claims
to territorial rights in the exclusive economic zones of Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam;
Whereas, in 2013, the Philippines pursued arbitration under the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) against the PRC;
Whereas, in 2016, the tribunal constituted under UNCLOS to hear the matter ruled
in favor of the Philippines, finding that the nine-dash line has no
standing under international law when it stated: ``On the merits, the
Tribunal concluded that the Convention comprehensively allocates rights
to maritime areas and that protections for pre-existing rights to
resources were considered, but not adopted in the Convention.
Accordingly, the Tribunal concluded that, to the extent China had
historic rights to resources in the waters of the South China Sea, such
rights were extinguished to the extent they were incompatible with the
exclusive economic zones provided for in the Convention.'';
Whereas, despite being a signatory to UNCLOS, the PRC refused to participate in
the arbitration and rejected its results;
Whereas Article 4 of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States and the
Philippines done in duplicate at Washington on August 30, 1951, states
that ``Each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on
either of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and
declares that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with
its constitutional processes.'';
Whereas, on July 13, 2020, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a
statement clarifying United States policy by stating, in part:
``Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China
Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control
them . . . Beijing has offered no coherent legal basis for its `Nine-
Dashed Line' claim in the South China Sea since formally announcing it
in 2009.'';
Whereas, on March 1, 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that ``As
the South China Sea is part of the Pacific, any armed attack on
Philippine forces, aircraft or public vessels in the South China Sea
will trigger mutual defense obligations under Article 4 of our mutual
defense treaty.'';
Whereas, on April 11, 2023, at a joint press conference with the United States
Secretary of Defense, the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and
the Philippine Senior Undersecretary and Officer in Charge of the
Department of National Defense, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken
reaffirmed ``the United States' unwavering commitment to standing with
the Philippines against any intimidation or coercion, including in the
South China Sea, and to preserving a region that's governed by
international law where goods and ideas and people can move freely.'';
Whereas the PRC has employed a variety of gray zone tactics to enforce its
erroneous territorial claims in the South China Sea;
Whereas, on February 13, 2023, a PRC vessel used a laser against a Philippine
vessel, temporarily blinding some of its crew;
Whereas, in August 2023, a China Coast Guard vessel used a water cannon to
prevent Philippine vessels from resupplying Philippine forces on Second
Thomas Shoal;
Whereas, on October 22, 2023, a China Coast Guard vessel and an associated
vessel rammed 2 Philippine resupply and Coast Guard ships near Second
Thomas Shoal; and
Whereas, on October 25, 2023, during a joint press conference with the Prime
Minister of Australia, President Joseph R. Biden reiterated that ``the
United States' defense commitment to the Philippines is ironclad'' and
that ``any attack on the Filipino aircraft, vessels, or armed forces
will invoke our Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines.'': Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) celebrates the longstanding alliance and mutually
beneficial partnership between the United States and the
Philippines;
(2) reaffirms its unwavering support for the Philippines in
the face of unprovoked aggression;
(3) affirms that the Mutual Defense Treaty applies to armed
attacks on Philippine Armed Forces, public vessels, or aircraft
in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea;
(4) calls on the People's Republic of China to stop
advancing its unlawful maritime territorial and sovereignty
claims in the South China Sea;
(5) condemns the People's Republic of China's use of gray
zone tactics in the South China Sea to enforce its unlawful
territorial and sovereignty claims;
(6) condemns the People's Republic of China's use of
lasing, water cannons, and ramming against Philippine vessels,
particularly the incidents in 2023; and
(7) calls for an end to aggressive behavior by People's
Republic of China vessels, including its Coast Guard and
maritime militia vessels, in areas where the 2016 United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea tribunal stated that
the People's Republic of China does not have sovereign rights.
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