Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the following upcoming Committee events:

Tuesday, January 14

Joint Subcommittee Hearing: Maritime Sovereignty in the East and South China Seas

2:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 14 in 2118 House Rayburn Office Building

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Ms. Bonnie S. Glaser
Senior Advisor for Asia, Freeman Chair in China Studies
Senior Associate, Pacific Forum
Center for Strategic and International Studies

Mr. Peter Dutton
Professor and Director
China Maritime Studies Institute
Naval War College

Mr. Jeff M. Smith
Director of South Asia Programs
Kraemer Strategy Fellow
American Foreign Policy Council

Chairman Chabot on the hearing: “China’s recent unilateral action to impose an Air Defense Identification Zone over the East China Sea and move to create an administrative zone in the South China Sea highlights China’s increasingly aggressive posture over contested areas in the region. In the past few years, the issue of maritime sovereignty in the Asia-Pacific region hastaken on a greater importance due to China’s assertive behavior, which is rising tensions and threatening to embroil the region in conflict. These actions pose a direct challenge to America’s peaceful presence in East and Southeast Asia, and threaten the security of global economic trade routes that rely upon freedom of navigation through these maritime waterways. This hearing comes at a critical time to assess the impact of these maritime disputes on American foreign policy and defense posture in the region.”

Note: This is a joint hearing with the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces of the Committee on Armed Services.

 

Wednesday, January 15

Hearing: South Sudan’s Broken Promise?

10:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, January 15 in 2172 Rayburn House Office Building

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of African Affairs
U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Earl W. Gast
Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Africa
U.S. Agency for International Development

Chairman Royce on the hearing: “South Sudan has taken a disastrous turn – Africa’s newest nation is Africa’s latest crisis. The U.S. has expended significant time, money, and energy to usher in an independentsouthern Sudan. Sadly, we now see political figures that once stood up against the brutal regime in Khartoum, with hopes of bringing freedom and prosperity to their people, now turning their weapons against one another. The Committee will hear from the Administration why we’re at this tragic point and how best to use our influence moving forward.”

 

Wednesday, January 15

Subcommittee Hearing: A Report on the G-8 Dementia Summit

2:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 15 in 2200 Rayburn House Office Building

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations

Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Panel I

Richard J. Hodes, M.D.
Director
National Institute on Aging
National Institutes of Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Panel II

Mr. George Vradenburg
Chairman and Founder
USAgainstAlzheimer’s

Mr. Harry Johns
President and Chief Executive Officer
Alzheimer’s Association

Chairman Smith on the hearing: “The numbers of people stricken with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in the United States and countries around the world are rising at an alarming rate.  Last month’s G8 Dementia Summit looked at the U.S. strategy for addressing this looming health crisis, and our hearing will examine the results of that meeting and their implications for U.S. Alzheimer’s programs and health-related foreign policy.”

Wednesday, January 15

Subcommittee Hearing: NAFTA at Twenty: Accomplishments, Challenges, and the Way Forward

2:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 15 in 2172 House Rayburn Office Building

Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere

Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Panel I

The Honorable Carla A. Hills
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Hills & Company International Consultants

The Honorable David Dreier
Chairman
Annenberg-Dreier Commission at Sunnylands

Panel II

Mr. Eric Farnsworth
Vice President
Council of the Americas and Americas Society

Mr. Mark T. Elliot
Executive Vice President
Global Intellectual Property Center
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

 Chairman Salmon on the hearing: “This month marks the 20th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA), a groundbreaking trade and investment framework.  Since the signing of this landmark agreement, U.S. trade in goods and services with Canada and Mexico increased from $307billion to $1.182 trillion in 2011.   NAFTA has been the impetus for the regional bilateral trade agreements reached since then, and has provided important lessons as the U.S. seeks tobuild closer ties to trade and investment partners through the much anticipated Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). The Subcommittee looks forward to examining the successes and the remaining challenges inherent in the agreement in order to ensure future agreements, like the TPP, meet the needs of our citizens and our economy.”

 

Thursday, January 16

Subcommittee Hearing: Water as a Geopolitical Threat

10:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, January 16 in 2172 House Rayburn Office Building

Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Chairman

Invited witnesses include:

Vijay Jagannathan, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow
World Resources Institute

Mr. Frederick Starr
Chairman
Central Asia – Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program

Ms. Maura Moynihan
Author and Activist

Mr. Gordon G. Chang
Author

Chairman Rohrabacher on the hearing: “The Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats will explore how fresh water and its availability is driving transnational concerns and potential interstate conflict. The scarcity and access of this vital resource affects every country. I’m particularly concerned about China’s nefarious role in using water as a cross-border weapon, intimidating its neighbors.”

***See foreignaffairs.house.gov for updates. 

***Coverage note:  All Foreign Affairs Committee proceedings are webcast live at foreignaffairs.house.gov/live-video-feed.

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