This legislation will update U.S. law on Taiwan's participation in the WHO to improve our strategy to promote Taiwan's place in the world health.

I am proud to support this amendment as well as the underlying text.

I am looking forward to sending this along to the full committee with the fixes made by Ranking Member Sherman's substitute amendment so we can get this important policy right.

The erosion of the one country, two systems policy threatens to destroy what makes Hong Kong unique and vibrant, so I commend the ranking member for introducing this legislation.

Austerity cuts are coming to this country. We know that.

The subcommittee will come to order.

I think we are all in agreement that the expansion and the aggression of what we see with China in the South China Sea...

We focus on aid not trade--I mean trade not aid, so that we can wean countries off.

East Asia and the Pacific represents the opportunities and challenges of this century like no other part of the world.

We need to pay attention to... trade practices that are not conducive to open trade and honest trade.

If we create a vacuum we know the rules of nature--nature abhors a vacuum--it will be filled by somebody.