▶ 0:09:45The subcommittee on South and Central Asia will come to order and the purpose of this hearing is to examine Americans for Americans foreign policy across across South Central Asia. Um very uh pleased to have uh our uh the under secretary for South and Central Asia with us.
▶ 0:10:11And sorry uh I am uh excuse me one second.
▶ 0:10:38I appreciate the patience of our ranking member as well as our as our witness here today. Uh today uh I have the pleasure of convening the first regional posture hearing of the year and I want to thank uh assistant secretary uh Kapor for his presence here today. Uh we are gathered to discuss one of the most important regions in the world, South and Central Asia. Our strategy there is key to the United States national security and economic strength and our global presence.
▶ 0:11:08South and Central Asia is home to nearly two billion people, dynamic economies, and strategic waterways that shape the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Throughout the region, the president has successfully negotiated deals that open markets and advance US economic How now we are going to engage and how we engage will define America's role in Asia for decades to come. Uh, China has come to the same conclusion. No surprise.
▶ 0:11:36Through its belt and road initiative, China engages in predatory lending to further its security interests and force smaller nations into debt traps. Furthermore, China has hardened its border with India, Nepal, and Bhutan, building infrastructure infrastructure to support its military aspirations. Uh despite it distance from our shores, maintaining a free and open Indian Ocean is a priority for our national and our economic security.
▶ 0:12:03The Indian Ocean is one of the busiest maritime corridors on the earth, carrying the lifeblood of global commerce and energy, including more than 80% of global seaborn oil trade. Safeguarding these sea lanes through enhanced naval cooperation with partners and allies will only serve to counter China's growing influence and limit its in malign behavior in the region. Alongside President Trump, I too see the importance of our naval base on Diego Garcia in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
▶ 0:12:33I echo this sentiment that preserving America's military fortitude in the region will deter Chinese coercion, prevent piracy, and ensure the free flow of American and world trade. Directly north of Diego Garcia, India, the largest democracy in the world and one of the fastest growing economies, remains a vital strategic partner. Just last week, President Trump brokered a historic trade deal with India, completely revamping US engagement with the country.
▶ 0:13:03The US India trade deal sets India's tariff rate at 18%, one of the lowest regionally. Moreover, Delhi has agreed to buy more American energy. This deal will strengthen US India relations, support American workers through manufacturing and joint technology ventures, and boost our exports. Strengthening ties with New Delhi through defense cooperation, trade and technology partnerships advances our shared interests.
▶ 0:13:31I look forward to increasing cooperation, co-production and investment especially under the new framework negotiated by the president. Bordering India, Nepal and Bangladesh are undergoing political transformations. Bangladesh will hold free elections tomorrow following its 2024 July revolution which ousted an authoritarian government.
▶ 0:13:54In September of 2025, Nepalese uh youth overthrew the government and Nepal will hold democratic elections next month. Both of these instances offer new chapters for engagement in South Asia defining US uh relations with these new governments. South and Central Asia is a dynamic region. Young, growing populations are more often drawn to Western cultures and values than to China's authoritarian alternative.
▶ 0:14:23Strategic US-led diplomacy will make a difference in building alliances and achieving our mutual beneficial goals throughout the region. Our strategy in South Asia must be comprehensive, anchored in strong partnerships, economic engagement, and a commitment to a democratic to democratic values. Our engagement in the region must advance American interests but also contribute to a more secure, prosperous and free Indian Ocean.
▶ 0:14:50I look forward to hearing from Assistant Secretary Kapoor regarding the administration's South and Central Asia strategy. And with that, I yield back. Uh the chair now recognizes the ranking member from California, Representative Kloer Dove for an opening
▶ 0:15:07Uh thank you, Mr. chair for your tireless efforts to bring an administration official to testify at a regional subcommittee hearing and thank you Assistant Secretary Kapor uh for being here today and for talking with me yesterday as well.
▶ 0:15:24While we have waited for more than a year for an administration official to publicly testify about the region, Trump has sabotaged US regional interests and decimated our diplomatic toolbox, putting us on the backfoot as major changes swept across South and Central Asia.
▶ 0:15:44In April, Trump announced tariffs on partners across South and Central Asia, an unexpected economic shock on countries already facing debt vulnerability to the PRC. 50% tariffs on India, one of the highest rates in the world tore a needless rupture in bilateral ties that sacrificed decades of painstaking trust building between our two countries.
▶ 0:16:09dragging on negotiations for over a year cost us the timely convening of the annual Quad Leader Summit and weakened our posture in the Indo-acific. In May, India and Pakistan fought their most serious military conflict in decades, risking nuclear escalation in a region of two billion people.
▶ 0:16:28But a reminder of the indispensable role of US diplomacy was by Trump's insistence on claiming credit for the ceasefire and offering to mediate the Kashmir dispute. In September, Nepal experienced widespread anti-corruption protests that led to the prime minister's resignation and new elections next month.
▶ 0:16:52Tomorrow, Bangladesh will go to the polls to decide on a new constitution and choose its leadership for the first time since Shik Hassina's ouster. These major political transitions present a rare opportunity for the US to strategically leverage our democracy assistance to support growing regional demand for accountable government governance.
▶ 0:17:15Yet the State Department's rejection of democracy programming and the decimation of USID has stripped us the very tools that are needed to advance our interests. Further hamstringing our engagement in the region, in December, Trump took the unprecedented step of recalling career ambassadors in Nepal and Sri Lanka, weakening our diplomatic leadership in two key states.
▶ 0:17:38While self-sabotage defines much of the administration's regional policy so far, cruelty most accurately describes its approach to Afghanistan and our Afghan allies. Nowhere in the region have Trump's aid cuts been more devastating than in Afghanistan, where child malnutrition has reached its highest level in a quarter century. The State Department did not even provide life-saving assistance after two deadly earthquakes killed thousands of people.
▶ 0:18:08Most shameful of all, the State Department is leading the betrayal of our Afghan allies who have been shut off from resettlement to the United States. Secretary Rubio dismantled the office of the coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts and did not appoint a permanent coordinator, violating the law passed under a Republican majority in 24.
▶ 0:18:28When my bipartisan provision to reestablish the care office made it into the final version of NDAA, Republican leadership yanked it out just days before it was set to pass. On top of that, the administration has created a living nightmare for over a thousand Afghans stuck in limbo at the relocation processing center at Camp Aila. In fact, when I asked Deputy Secretary Riggus about the fate of the Afghans at Cass, he'd never heard of it.
▶ 0:18:57Now, the State Department is closing CASS and offering payment to Afghan allies who self-deport back to Taliban terror, breaking our promise to provide them a chance at a future in the United States. I'm concerned it's only a matter of time before the administration leans into the unconscionable and recognizes the Taliban without improving the rights of Afghan women and girls.
▶ 0:19:22Assistant Secretary Kapor, you take the helm of the South and Central Bureau at a time when we are in sharp need of transparency, strategic coherence, and a return to humanity. And I look forward to gaining some clarity about the administration's policies today. Thank you, and I yield back.
▶ 0:19:45General Lady yields back. Other members of the committee are reminded that opening statements may be submitted for the record as well. and we're pleased to have you uh the assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs at the Department of State, the Honorable Dr. S. Paul Kapoor before us today. Uh this committee recognizes recognizes the importance of the issues before us and is grateful to have you here to speak with us today.
▶ 0:20:09Uh your full statements will be made part of the record and I'll ask you to keep your spoken remarks to five minutes in order to allow time for member questions. One one uh item of clarification I believe can you just confirm to me that it was in October of 2025 was when you were finally confirmed. Is that correct?
▶ 0:20:25That's correct.
▶ 0:20:26Okay. So it's you've been on the job for three and a half months for the most
▶ 0:20:30Yes, since late October.
▶ 0:20:31Okay. Since late October. All right. I appreciate that. And uh Mr. Assistant Secretary, I recognize you now for your five minute opening statement.
▶ 0:20:39Thank you, Chairman Wisena and ranking member com logger dove. Uh it was great to meet you yesterday. Thank you for taking the time. I thought it was a very productive conversation. Um, also distinguished members of the committee, uh, thank you for inviting me today to appear to discuss, uh, the Trump administration's approach to South Asia. President Trump's national security strategy makes clear that we must put America first and do so through active engagement with vital parts of the world.
▶ 0:21:06Under President Trump's leadership, this has advanced our economic and security interests while helping our partners. I see the benefits every day in my bureau's work in the South Asia region. Consisting of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, and Bhutan. South Asia is vitally important. India alone has well over 1 billion people and occupies a subcontinental landmass. A hostile power dominating South Asia could exert coercive leverage over the world economy.
▶ 0:21:34The United States must prevent this from happening and keep the region free and open. As Secretary Rubio has said, America first does not mean America alone. To achieve our goals, we must cooperate with like-minded partners who can share the burden. Often this will require us to help our partners build strategic capacity, enabling them better to integrate into the world economy, preserve their autonomy, and contribute to a free and open region. We have many tools to do this.
▶ 0:22:01We of course want to expand our trade relationships with the South Asian countries because robust trade will make all of us stronger and more prosperous. Just last week, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi reached an agreement on an historic trade framework. And two days ago, the Trump administration signed a trade deal with Bangladesh, providing American exporters with access to Bangladesh's market of about 175 million people. But beyond trade, I would point to three broad categories.
▶ 0:22:31of approach to strategic capacity building that the Trump administration is deploying. Defense cooperation, targeted investment and diplomacy. Defense cooperation includes military sales and transfers, co-development of systems and platforms, and bilateral and multilateral exercises. Targeted investments combine US seed funding, American technology and expertise, and private industry.
▶ 0:22:58And diplomacy involves institutionalized touch points between senior leaders as well as more ad hoc engagements to address an emerging opportunity or challenge and strategic messaging to support our initiatives. We employ these tools in South Asia as we help our partners build capacity, strategic capacity that is increase their prosperity and protect their sovereignty outcomes that make America safer and more prosperous as well.
▶ 0:23:22India with its size, location and commitment to a free and open region anchors South Asia and more broadly the western half of the Indo-acific. The United States and India maintain high level diplomatic touch points such as the 2 plus2 ministerial and cooperate closely in the defense, technology and energy sectors bilaterally and also through the Quad.
▶ 0:23:44Cooperation in these areas has remained robust even as we re we resolved longstanding issues in our trade relationship as evidenced by the renewed 10-year US India defense framework agreement the trust initiative and Indian purchases of US products ranging from drones to liqufied natural gas. Following the trade framework President Trump reached last week with Prime Minister Modi, we can now focus on other shared priorities.
▶ 0:24:11lowering barriers to trade with one of the largest economies in the world and opening the way to even more wholesome This will enhance our mutual prosperity and help India to defend its sovereignty both in land and in its maritime near abroad. Pakistan is another important partner in the region. We're working together with Pakistan to realize the potential of its critical mineral resources combining US government seed financing with private sector know-how to the benefit of both of our countries.
▶ 0:24:40Our trade in energy and agriculture is expanding as well. And our ongoing counterterrorism cooperation helps Pakistan combat internal security threats while addressing transnational dangers that could harm the US or our Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldiv, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan strategic locations afford them outsized importance, but they also can become t targets for coercion.
▶ 0:25:03Defense cooperation with the United States helps them to protect their borders and waterways against encroaching powers and carefully targeted investment can provide these states with highquality transparent non-coercive support for critical infrastructure like ports, telecom networks and energy portals helping them to avoid the dangers of debt trap I've been discussing cooperation between the US and South Asia. But in closing, I'll point to one other important form of cooperation.
▶ 0:25:30cooperation between the administration and Congress on these issues. We both recognize South Asia's vital importance. Let's work together in the region, helping our partners to help themselves and making the United States safer, stronger, and more prosperous. Thank you, and I look forward to your We appreciate your testimony and uh I will recognize myself for five minutes at this point. Um and you talked quite a bit uh about South Asia.
▶ 0:25:59You are the assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs and are the lead on Afghan uh Afghanistan policy and a crucial part of the ongoing comprehensive review of strategy and policies towards Afghanistan which have been underway uh since January of uh 20 of last year.
▶ 0:26:20Um, quite honestly, the Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, uh, that was a true betrayal of our Afghan allies, and it led to thousands of Afghan allies being left behind, fearing for their lives. Uh, it's well documented that the Taliban has committed numerous reprisal killings uh, otherwise detained or forced the disappearance of other Afghans who have served alongside US uh, service members.
▶ 0:26:45And there are many outstanding questions in Congress about the nature of the US policy towards Afghanistan and where it is going. And uh so assistant se Secretary Kapor u when can we expect information on the state department's Afghan policy and will you commit to a member level briefing uh so that we can have a better understanding of that
▶ 0:27:08Thank you Mr. Chairman. uh the review to which you refer is is an ongoing process uh and it's also an inter agency process. So there are many moving pieces to it. Um I don't know exactly what the schedule looks like or the timeline looks like but I can commit to uh remaining in touch with you and with the committee and your staffs and um letting you know when when we reach some sort of uh con maybe maybe let me ask uh more specific before uh there is a final report.
▶ 0:27:37Are you willing to come in and brief us on Absolutely. where you were going. Okay. I appreciate that. Thank
▶ 0:27:43Uh so after President Trump's historic trade agreement with India was signed last week, um we can look forward to a deepening relationship with uh India. India shares our objective of ensuring that China cannot bully its neighbors or threaten American assets uh in the Indian Ocean. Uh what next steps can we take to advance our relationship with India particularly in the defense Well, I think we can keep going the way we have been going.
▶ 0:28:09One of the remarkable things about the relationship is that uh despite some of the uncertainties surrounding the trade relationship in recent months, uh the uh our other initiatives and efforts with India have continued forward, defense, um energy, technology and so on. And uh on the defense side, we uh we have a robust agenda.
▶ 0:28:28We just signed the 10-year uh re framework um which is going to help us move forward in in uh in uh uh joint exercises and many of the things that we that we do and have been doing in recent years. So we're going to we will expand that. We have um also uh some uh potential purchases of uh weapon systems uh in the pipeline that will help India to protect itself better, ensure its sovereignty also will create American jobs uh be good for both sides.
▶ 0:28:59Uh so we have we have a number of things in the pipeline and I think that momentum has continued despite the uh some of the uncertainties around trade and it's going to continue now even more so because that's uh the trade issue has been uh has been largely resolved. I appreciate that. Uh I want to talk about the uh Indian Ocean and the importance strategically and operationally for us. Uh specifically Diego Garcia uh that's been in the news a little bit.
▶ 0:29:25We have operated an American naval support facility there since 1977 allowing our Navy to operate throughout the Indian Ocean and the Middle East. Uh it's clearly extremely important asset to our national security. describe why Diego Garcia is important to our power projection in the region especially with China growing its uh influence uh and what if anything can Congress do to ensure that it stays that way?
▶ 0:29:52Well, the Indian Ocean is actually the the the Indo piece of the Indo-Pacific and and one of the insights of that term is that it it recognizes that this is a holist we have to take a holistic approach to the region and we think about the Pacific. It's not in isolation, but it actually connects all the way to the to the Indian Ocean and even to the east coast of Africa. Diego Garcia is in kind of in the in the middle of the of the ocean, but it's a it's a very important outpost for projecting air power particularly.
▶ 0:30:20Um and and the president has said that it's a a crucial uh a crucial asset.
▶ 0:30:25Um and we're going to work towards maintaining our presence there. The president has said that that's uh uh that Diego Versio is very important to us strategically. So I would imagine that's something we're going to do. In
▶ 0:30:38my remaining 20 seconds, I don't have enough time to discuss Bangladesh uh elections. Uh but I assume that you are engaging with uh the the Bangladesh government and as we're seeing this new election, if you want to maybe take 10 seconds to to comment on it.
▶ 0:30:54We're we're excited about it. Um we've been in touch with the Bang the interim government. They've been I think they have a a strong sense of their responsibility in in making this go forward in a way that is secure and peaceful and we hope that that that is in fact what happens. We expect it will be um and uh we look forward to working with um whatever government is elected there. All right. I appreciate that and with that I now r recognize the ranking member Miss Kam Logger Dove for five
▶ 0:31:22Thank you Mr. chair and uh thank you assistant secretary for coming to talk to us today. So uh you are the assistant secretary for South and Central Asia and does that mean that all of the ambassadors in the region report to you
▶ 0:31:43uh with the organizational structure of the of the department of the bureau rather works that way. They Yes.
▶ 0:31:49Okay. Um, so given that you oversee the ambassadors, uh, and this is the most transparent administration in history, um, can you commit to working with us, the chair and I, to bring Sergio Gore, ambassador to India, to meet with members of the committee.
▶ 0:32:09Uh, Mr. Gore is uh, I think a very effective ambassador. He's done under his uh, actually just he's been there a short time, we've had a number of really good outcomes. uh he's also a close confident of the president. He has his trust and confidence and uh he and I work together well and I will I'm will discuss uh I discuss all manner of things with him.
▶ 0:32:30That is good. And I do recognize that he is special envoy. Um but he's ambassador and as you just stated you have command over ambassadors in the region and I think that it would be uh important for him given both of his roles to come before uh the committee and answer uh questions because as you mentioned as we've all mentioned this is an incredibly strategic and important and mighty region.
▶ 0:32:56So, I just want to know if you would be willing to um have him come before us, if you would work with us to bring him here.
▶ 0:33:04Well, he and I discuss many issues and uh we I will uh discuss discuss this
▶ 0:33:10Please let him know. Um I now want to turn to Afghanistan. Uh and I believe that we share common goals and a common humanity. Nonetheless, one of the great moral catastrophes of this administration is happening on your watch, which is the betrayal of our Afghan allies. For every female interpreter left behind and assaulted by the Taliban, for every Afghan department the department pays to leave Cass and return to mortal danger.
▶ 0:33:40for every child separated from their siblings and parents separated from their kids, your name, your name will be on that policy for the history books, for the documentaries, for the Wikipedia. Um, and there are people in the audience today who have been directly impacted.
▶ 0:34:00I want to thank you for saying on the record and answering the chair's question about continuing to update members of this committee on the Afghan policy because it is so important and I would hope that you would commit to making sure that that happens by before March 31st. I would also ask that you commit to making sure that our staff are able to receive those briefings as well. Can you commit to also ensuring that our staff have access?
▶ 0:34:29We will be in touch. Uh I will be as transparent and open as I possibly can
▶ 0:34:34I hope that means our staff and the members are able to be briefed. Uh the State Department said it aims to close down Cass by the end of March and relocate over a thousand Afghans to third countries uh breaking our promise to give them a future in the United States. So can you commit uh that no Afghan will be forcibly repatriated to Afghanistan? We are not forcibly repatriating Afghans to Afghanistan.
▶ 0:34:59Some have gone of their own valition uh but but we are not uh forcing anybody.
▶ 0:35:05Okay, that is good to know. Do you know which countries have agreed to accept Afghan refugees and do you know how many Afghans are being relocated? There are between,00 and 1,200 uh Afghans on the facility uh at Cass and uh we're looking to relocate them and uh we're in negotiations with third countries to do that and uh you know our our belief is that that is actually a good outcome.
▶ 0:35:35Uh keeping them indefinitely on CAS is really not
▶ 0:35:38when we talked about that uh yesterday. I hope that you'll be able to give this committee a list of the countries that you are negotiating with or the ones that have said yes before uh everything is finalized. I just want to close with um the few minutes I have left. Um I read up on you. I know you care about this region. I believe we have the same goals that we want partnership, predictability, and peace in the region.
▶ 0:36:05I have to tell you this issue with the Afghan policy is incredibly alarming. I am serious when I say that this country that your position your position will be carrying that legacy. And if those women, if those girls, if those allies are beaten, killed, tortured, murdered, taken by the Taliban, it will be something that you have to answer to. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I yield back.
▶ 0:36:32Gentle lady's time has expired. Uh with that, the chair now recognizes uh the uh the subcommittee chair on Europe, Mr. Self for of Texas for five minutes. Uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh you wrote a book, Jihad as Grand Strategy, Islamist Militancy, National Security, and the Pakistani State.
▶ 0:36:54Uh the summary of it starts that Islamic militants based in Pakistan have played a major role in terrorism around the world and pose a significant threat to regional and international security. [cough] Are there Islamic groups operating in thei from the south central Asia uh region of the world operating in the United States
▶ 0:37:21Well, it depends on what you mean by operating. I mean there could be u members of those groups around. I I I um can't give you exact numbers or or where they might be. Um the point of the of the book was to uh look back at Pakistani strategy and and u discuss how the Pakistanis had interacted with militant and terrorist groups.
▶ 0:37:43Okay. So you're saying that you don't know of South Central Asia Islamic groups that are importing Sharia into the United States. Is that your
▶ 0:37:54Groups as as um coherent organizations. I there may be uh members of those groups that that are here. Uh there they could be anywhere. Um that's one of the challenges of dealing with terrorism is that there are uh you know small numbers of people that blend into the population. It's very hard to know.
▶ 0:38:11Okay. Moving to China and India. Obviously the two largest countries by population in the world. Um this this uh relationship with India. Uh what is your assessment of how India is going to support our efforts, [clears throat] our increasing allied efforts around the the the Indo-Pacific region to counter an increasingly aggressive China, setting trade routes aside?
▶ 0:38:41Well, an India that can uh be independent and stand up for itself and preserve its freedom of action actually actually works to our uh strategic advantage and and promotes our strategic interest because what we're trying to do fundamentally is not to keep China out of the region but to prevent China or any single hegeimon from taking over or or imposing coercive leverage on the region.
▶ 0:39:03So an India that is able to uh be independent and uh preserve its freedom of action takes a huge swath of the Indopacific off of China's plate and almost by definition prevents it from uh becoming the dominant power in the
▶ 0:39:16Do you think that China has a true bluewater navy?
▶ 0:39:21They have bluewater capabilities.
▶ 0:39:25Okay. uh what how and I understand India is not a a fan of the belt and road initiative. How are they impacting that in the south central Asia area?
▶ 0:39:38Well, the belt and road is about getting uh Chinese enabling the Chinese to get influence over regional countries.
▶ 0:39:44And how are they countering that?
▶ 0:39:46Through development. Well, when India develops and and uh its economy and and develops its infrastructure and develops its military independent of China and is able to be uh to to maintain its freedom of action, it uh pre it prevents Chinese from using the belt and road strategy in a again a big swath of the Indo-Pacific.
▶ 0:40:06So India is replacing the Belt and Road initiative in some places. Well, it's pre if if Belton Road doesn't uh take root in India, for instance, that means that there's a very large part of the Indoacific that is not under Chinese
▶ 0:40:22So, you're not saying they're impacting it beyond India. I think at this point the the the um the goal is to ensure that in an India that India can stand up for itself, be independent and of course it is but the more wherewithal that it has economically, militarily uh in terms of its defense, in terms of its technology, the better it is able to maintain its
▶ 0:40:45How about its actions in the Quad? India has been an active member of the Quad and uh we interact with India both bilaterally and in the Quad context and uh it's a that is a I think a promising venue for us to cooperate and for us to cooperate with other like-minded states in the region.
▶ 0:41:03Are they aggressive in the Quad?
▶ 0:41:05I don't know if I'd say they're aggressive, but they're but they are um uh important members of the Quad.
▶ 0:41:12Yeah. uh secretary I I think India is an uh ally in our in our move against China. U so I I'm trying to pick at your brain to see how they are supporting our broader global effort against China. And I'm not
▶ 0:41:33So I I I guess what I I I take your I understand your question. I mean what I'm what I'm saying is that they don't have to they don't have to go far a field to support our strategic interests and an independent uh strong prosperous India takes a big swath of the Indopacific away from China and that is actually a strategic win for us.
▶ 0:41:56Mr. Chairman I yield.
▶ 0:41:57The gentleman's time has expired. With that gentleman from California, Mr. Bar is recognized for five minutes.
▶ 0:42:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, Assistant Secretary, I appreciate your um, statement in the opening comments. This is a vital region and we're playing a long game here. You know, our um, competitors, adversaries in the region are playing an equally long game. Um, I implore you to work with Congress and and certainly take a message back to the administration because my I'm starting my 14th year in Congress and having been on this committee have deep relations and have been focused on the region.
▶ 0:42:34So, we're always going to get better policy. Um, when we're working with Congress, we're playing long game. We're appropriating and and authorizing long-term strategies. So, um, I'll take your word on that. And again, um, think it is better for us to work closely with the administration. So, it doesn't change from one administration to the next, but we play that long game. I'm going to ask a quick question about Central Asia. It's an issue that we've been working on for a long time.
▶ 0:42:59the repeal of Jackson Vanic, which really is a cold war relic that doesn't really apply to um today's world. Um it does inhibit US companies from fully investing in um some of the Central Asian nations and hasn't been a partisan issue. You know, we've introduced legislation in bipartisan fashion and um administrations, Democratic and Republican administrations have all said it is a relic of the past. Secretary Rubio in his confirmation hearing also acknowledged that.
▶ 0:43:27So, I think now's the time for us to fully repeal Jackson Vanic. Um, they want our companies investing um their critical minerals, energy resources, etc. And they're in a tough neighborhood between Russia and and China. So, um I'd love your commitment to say you'll work with us on getting that repeal across the finish
▶ 0:43:48Yes, sir. This is a a great a great example of a bipartisan issue as you point out. Uh we believe that Jackson Vanic is is a relic of the Cold War. As you said, the secretary has said the same thing. Um and we appreciate bipartisan support here.
▶ 0:44:02Okay, let's get it done. We might have to put a little pressure on the Ways and Means Committee, but I think we can get this done. Um let's shift to South Asia and and India. I was there in September. Um the relationship was not a a great place at that point. Lots of reasons. Um, I think there was concern about President Trump's um, you know, welcoming some senior Pakistani leaders into the the Oval Office. Um, concerns about the 50% tariff.
▶ 0:44:30You know, I got on a plane on a Friday, landed on a Saturday, and there was a H-1B um, visa, $100,000 fee. spent a lot of time addressing these issues, but also spent a lot of time speaking um through the media to the public that nothing has changed from a congressional perspective in terms of a three decade strategy going back to President Clinton, through President Bush, through President Obama, through um President Trump's first term, President Biden. Um that has deviated our strategy.
▶ 0:44:59We see India as a a strategic piece of um the the puzzle in stabilizing the Indopacific. They still see that we see the economic relationship. So I'm cautiously optimistic about the trade deal that still a lot of details to be worked through. India is not always the the easiest place with their bureaucracy, but it is been an ever elusive trade deal. So again, that would be a place where I would urge you to work closely with Congress.
▶ 0:45:25Um, we also introduced a resolution at HRES 880, which is a bipartisan resolution that reestablished and recodified um, you know, 24 members of Congress, 12 Democrats, 12 Republicans, the importance of this relationship. So again, I don't think anything's changed in how um, Congress looks at the the strategic importance. If you could just give us a quick update. We saw the tensions um, between India and Pakistan. Obviously, you've studied this region quite a bit.
▶ 0:45:55um it seems quieter at this juncture. Um but if you could you know update us on what you're seeing um with relationship to Indian Pakistan. Um
▶ 0:46:06thank you and I I think that was a very insightful uh summary of the of the relationship frankly. Um I agree with you that uh this is uh this kind of strategic thinking has transcended both Democratic and Republican administrations.
▶ 0:46:19And and I would say that this I mentioned this earlier, but I'd repeat it that um despite some of the uncertainties around the trade negotiations, um we can we continued to move forward on most axes of the relationship in a pretty robust way, you know, and we and we got uh civil nuclear legislation and uh we got the the defense framework. So uh you know, a lot of good things happen
▶ 0:46:43and again hopefully the the nuclear that's always been elusive as well. that's in a better place. I guess just in my last few seconds, the one thing I've pushed the Indians on is I'll take um the president face value that he really does want to bring the Ukraine conflict to an end. The Indians do have lines of communication with the Russians that we don't. You know, this is an opportunity for India to flex some of its diplomatic muscle. Um get the president a win that that he wants as you interact with your Indian counterparts.
▶ 0:47:12If you could push them to use their diplomatic lines of communication to help bring this conflict to an end and then you know the postconlict I think India can play a big role here.
▶ 0:47:22Yes. Thank you. Gentlemen's time has expired. We are going to do a second round u of uh of questioning. I'll recognize myself for uh five minutes uh as well. I don't know if you wanted to expand. I kind of ended on the uh elections. Um but we also have the uh Nepalese uh elections upcoming.
▶ 0:47:43If you want to briefly comment on that and then what I'd like to do is talk a little bit about the strategic issues regarding the Maldes and Sri Lanka uh and the uh sort of the Chinese view of the their string of pearls uh theory of how they are going to spread their influence around the uh Indoacific.
▶ 0:48:03Sure. Thank you. Um I think uh we talked about Bangladesh and again that that election is going to happen tomorrow. I think it's a it's a great great thing to see uh and we're we're very optimistic about it. Um and our approach to Nepal is similar. I mean these are both examples of youth movements um overthrowing uh older governments and uh and now creating the opportunity for um democratic participation in their countries.
▶ 0:48:27So with Nepal we uh we also trust that that we'll have a a secure and peaceful u process uh electoral process and we are prepared to work with uh with whoever wins.
▶ 0:48:40Great. How about Sri Lanka and the Maldes and any other
▶ 0:48:44Sure. So the small so those smaller um oceanic um uh South Asian states have I think outsized importance because of their location. I I I believe I I heard Sri Lanka has something like 75% of all the world's energy passes within miles of it.
▶ 0:49:02That's right. And probably about half of the container shipping. I I believe whatever the exact number is, it's a lot. Um and so those those slots, those sea lanes of communication are really important. Um very important to keep them um free and open for for the world economy. and those countries are positioned in ways that they can have actually undue or not undo but um outsized uh impact on on trade and energy flows through there.
▶ 0:49:27So it's very important that those countries are uh able to maintain their freedom of action and not be coerced uh by China by predatory lending and the kinds of things that you you talked about earlier. Um some of the ways that we can do that is to engage these countries um um uh financing to kind of identify strategic infrastructure I get projects I guess is what I would say and and not allow them all to go to be dominated by China I think which is really what China wants to do.
▶ 0:49:55If you think about Sri Lanka and Hunto port they have a 99-year lease on it. Um those are the kinds of dangers that that we see with um uh Chinese development schemes. So we need to be able to offer alternatives uh highquality transparent non-coercive alternatives and I think we can do that with uh our financing mechanisms um our technology and our private enterprise our private business and it's something very important to President Trump to be able to create opportunities uh for US
▶ 0:50:21Have we seen some of that same infrastructure in the Maldes Chinese
▶ 0:50:26Yeah. So there's a a port in the Maldives Tapushi port. was actually um uh designated a port of the future by the Quad I believe and um so there's been some Chinese investment there not not the whole thing uh but uh but they're interested for sure.
▶ 0:50:42You heard it folks. He's encouraged us to go investigate the Maldes. So uh happy to take that suggestion. Um, well, with that, I I do appreciate and I'll I'll uh I will yield back the balance of my time and turn to uh Representative Self uh for five minutes as we uh if we do have one of our other Democratic colleagues come back, we'll recognize them. But Mr. Self,
▶ 0:51:04uh thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to go to Russian oil uh because uh the sale of Russian oil continues to fund the Ukraine war. Let's just be honest. Um so if uh supposedly India has pledged to cease importing Russian oil, how are you going to enforce that? Because we talking about is that include third party traders, uh blended cargo, shipto ship, ghost ships. How are you going to enforce that?
▶ 0:51:34Well, fortunately enforce I won't be in the enforcement business. that will be I think probably my DO colleagues will will be thinking about uh you know ships that are that are traveling around but uh I think uh
▶ 0:51:48well then maybe the question for you is how are you going to measure it?
▶ 0:51:51Yeah, I don't know the details of of how that's going to be worked out. Uh I'm happy to stay in touch with you about it. uh but uh the Indians have been reducing their uh their purchases of of Russian oil and and diversifying away which is what we wanted them to do and uh they've actually been buying more US energy and and that's I think a promising possibility is to substitute some uh US energy for the um uh for the Russian energy but other other and buying from other places around the world too of course
▶ 0:52:22yeah because uh we we have credible reports in fact I don't think there's any question that Russia sold energy to India who turned around and then exported it to Europe. So it's a it and that could be opaque to you. So I think this is important in our efforts to control the sale of Russian energy.
▶ 0:52:46Uh just making sure it doesn't go through a third party uh through India even if it doesn't touch Indian pipelines or or territory. I think that's an important issue in terms of cutting off the sale of Russian energy. Uh China is also implicit in that. I got it. But India here to four has been has been a major um participant in in that. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
▶ 0:53:17Gentleman yields back. Uh with that, uh the chair recognizes the ranking member for five minutes.
▶ 0:53:22Thank you. Uh and I just want to apologize uh for leaving because I'm doing double duty on another committee. though um wanted to get back to the questions around Afghanistan. The State Department has confirmed that it is offering payments to Afghan allies at Cass to self-deport back to the Taliban using funds specifically appropriated by Congress to support the Afghan relocations.
▶ 0:53:50I know you said that some are going voluntarily, but do you know how many Afghan allies have accepted payment so far? I believe it's in the neighborhood of 150, but I can check on those numbers for you.
▶ 0:54:03Okay, great. And how many of those individuals were trying to reunite with family members in the United States?
▶ 0:54:10I don't have that number for you.
▶ 0:54:11Okay. Um could you when we have our briefing, we'd love it if you could.
▶ 0:54:16I I will see what I can find um in terms of numbers.
▶ 0:54:20Great. And do you know how many of the Afghans who took the payment and self-deported? Do you know how many of them are still alive?
▶ 0:54:30I I don't know individual cases.
▶ 0:54:33All right. That would also be great because I think one of the things that we are interested in is how we are supporting our allies and making sure that obviously if they're going back voluntarily or not uh that they are um alive.
▶ 0:54:48Uh so Congress passed a law requiring the appointment of a coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts in 2024 and in July deputy uh secretary rigus told us that the coordinator would be the new SCA secret assistant secretary. So Mr. Kapour are you the new coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts? Well, I am the uh assistant secretary of South and Central Asia and uh CARE comes under uh SCA, right?
▶ 0:55:18The Office of Afghan Affairs.
▶ 0:55:20So, you're either that coordinator and you're doing multiple jobs like Marco Rubio, the secretary, or that person yet has not been identified.
▶ 0:55:28Well, I I play I have that responsibility structurally now.
▶ 0:55:31Okay. Um I think it's also important that we get that information. I think that's something that should have been coordinated uh with Congress or at least we should have been alerted um given it was a law passed by us. So the US used to provide scholarships for Rohingya and Afghan women to attend the Asian University for women in Bangladesh, a crucial educational lifeline for women in the region deprived of schooling opportunities.
▶ 0:55:57Do you think that it's in the US's interest to support women's education in the region? We uh we support then uh that women should and girls should be educated just like uh boys and men.
▶ 0:56:13So would you consider resuming US support for the university?
▶ 0:56:16I don't know about the ca the particular case of the university. I know that we support scholarships uh for Afghan girls and women to study. Uh we also have a virtual program that I think is is beamed into Afghanistan and so it's located outside so it doesn't benefit the Taliban but uh we we have we do take that seriously and I certainly believe that girls and women should be educated.
▶ 0:56:38I'm glad that you do and I actually think that educating women and girls tends to be a bipartisan issue and so it would also be great to get that information. As you can see, we have been waiting for you, for someone to come before this committee and answer uh some questions that will help us in how we are engaging with our partners in the region um and putting our best foot forward. And it's hard to do that um as we shared with you uh when there's no one here and when we don't get a call back and we can't get briefings.
▶ 0:57:09So um the quad um I think is very important and how we can get it back on track for from your perspective. Are there issues that need to be resolved as preconditions before the United States participates in a Quad Leader summit?
▶ 0:57:26I think the Quad is is uh a very important platform. It it has it has done well. uh it was defunct in I think 2017 when it when it was revived u during the first Trump administration and uh it's it's grown in importance since then and we uh it's a platform that enables us to uh connect and cooperate in unique ways with our like-minded partners.
▶ 0:57:49uh we were talking about India earlier in the quad and uh India's been an active participant but we can promote our humanitarian uh uh techreated defense and and uh econs also um
▶ 0:58:03if you don't mind I want to take I want to make sure I get my last 18 seconds in but I appreciate you saying all of that and sharing those examples because I think it underscores that you believe that the quad is very important. I was concerned that it's only mentioned twice in the 2025 national security strategy. So I hope you can lean in in your role and remind everyone else how important the Quad is and how strategic it is to the work we're trying to do in the region. Thank you and I yield back.
▶ 0:58:28General's time has
▶ 0:58:29sir, could I just respond very briefly to that?
▶ 0:58:32Very briefly.
▶ 0:58:32Yeah. So I would just point out that it is the Quad's important to us and Secretary Rubio's I think his first engagement when he became Secretary of State was in fact a Quad engagement. So uh it's important to us
▶ 0:58:42and he should come back and tell us all about it. You should tell him he should come back and tell us all about it. With that, I want to thank you, Assistant Secretary Kapor, for your very valuable information and testimony uh and for answering members questions. Members of the subcommittee uh are reminded they if they have additional questions for the witness. Um they can submit those in writing to the chair. We will pass those along and ask you to respond uh to those questions in writing.
▶ 0:59:10And pursuant to committee rules, all uh committee members have five days to submit statements, questions, and extraneous materials for the record subject to the length limitations. And without objection, the committee stands
▶ 0:59:22Thank you.