Congressional Hearing: U.S. Foreign Policy in Asia

• •The hearing took place on April 28, 2016, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
• •The committee reviewed the status of North Korea's nuclear program following its fourth nuclear test in January 2016.
• •Chairman Royce noted that the President signed bipartisan sanctions legislation targeting North Korea's financial resources.
• •The committee discussed reports of prohibited arms deals involving North Korea that continue to provide cash to the regime.
• •The hearing addressed China's land reclamation and militarization activities in the South China Sea.
• •The committee raised concerns regarding human rights practices in Vietnam, specifically the treatment of bloggers, journalists, and political dissidents.
• •The committee requested that the administration increase the designation of companies, banks, and individuals for sanctions related to North Korean activities.
• •The committee noted that no North Korean officials had been sanctioned specifically for human rights abuses as of the date of the hearing.

This hearing reviewed the implementation of U.S. sanctions against North Korea and the administration's diplomatic approach to territorial tensions in the South China Sea, which directly impacts U.S. national security and international trade routes.

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.