Rep. Castro Shares Advancement of PARTNER with ASEAN Act

Texas Representative Joaquin Castro (D) recently took to Twitter to share the advancement of the bipartisan PARTNER with ASEAN Act, a policy drawn up by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rep. Castro wasn’t alone in his announcement as he was joined by California Representative Young Kim (R).

“This bill, while simple in scope, affords the ASEAN mission in D.C. the same diplomatic privileges that other similar organizations receive," stated Rep. Kim.

The California congresswoman continued, stating, "I thank my Foreign Affairs Committee colleagues for supporting this bill out of committee, and I look forward to its consideration on the House floor.”

“Today, with the help and support of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, @HouseForeign advanced the PARTNER with ASEAN Act, my bill with @RepYoungKim to open new areas of cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.” tweeted Rep. Castro.

Rep. Castro continued, stating, “As chair of the ASEAN Caucus, I've long pushed for more recognition of ASEAN centrality.  Thank you to all those who generously spoke in support of my bill today – I'm looking forward to a House floor vote soon.”

The Texas lawmaker has an extensive history when it comes to calling for stronger southeast Asian relations. “As founding chair of the ASEAN Caucus, I’ve long pushed for the United States to expand our recognition of ASEAN’s central role in Indo-Pacific stability and prosperity,” stated Castro.

The Texas congressman continued, saying, “The PARTNER with ASEAN Act will open new channels of cooperation and grant ASEAN diplomats the full recognition they deserve. I thank Congresswoman Kim for her partnership on the PARTNER with ASEAN Act and look forward to bringing our bill to a full vote on the House floor.”

According to Castro’s joint statement, the “PARTNER with ASEAN Act would align the status of ASEAN in the U.S. with other regional groupings like the African Union and would enhance engagement between the U.S. and ASEAN, including by facilitating visits by personnel from the ASEAN secretariat to the United States for dialogues and international events and potentially allowing for a permanent ASEAN mission in the United States.”