SenateS. 4600119th Congress
South China Sea Strategy Act of 2026
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4600 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4600
To require a South China Sea diplomatic engagement strategy, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 20, 2026
Ms. Duckworth (for herself and Mr. Curtis) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require a South China Sea diplomatic engagement strategy, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``South China Sea Strategy Act of
2026''.
SEC. 2. 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 arise that
affect United States interests in the South China Sea,
including to ensure the safety of United States citizens in the
region.
SEC. 3. 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 in a smart,
strategic direction in line with United States interests 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 littoral states, allies, and partners on
security, diplomatic, legal, and economic matters in the South
China Sea;
(2) designate an office tasked with lead responsibility for
coordinating 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 littoral states, allies, and partners, and
identifies 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
additional 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
reducing the likelihood of security crises and
conflicts;
(E) preparing crisis management and response
mechanisms to avoid potential actions that could
unnecessarily provoke or exacerbate a volatile or tense
situation;
(F) building resilience to foreign malign influence
and interference;
(G) supporting economic development and resilience
to economic coercion; and
(H) addressing additional factors assessed by the
Secretary to be causing a direct risk to the United
States national interests in the South China Sea; and
(6) detail plans for coordination with the interagency and
foreign governments to address crisis management for scenarios
short of war 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. 4. 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. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(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.
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