International religious freedom

(a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The promotion and protection of the universally recognized right to the freedom of religion is a priority of United States foreign policy as stated in section 402 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442) and the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (title I of Public Law 114–26; 19 U.S.C. 4201 et seq.) which requires the Administration to take religious freedom into account when negotiating trade agreements. (2) In 2024, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended to the United States Government to designate Vietnam as a country of particular concern, or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), and to support legislative efforts to improve religious freedom in Vietnam, including the Vietnam Human Rights Act. (3) On December 29, 2023, in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the Secretary of State, for the second consecutive year, placed Vietnam on the Special Watch List for having engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom. (b) Sense of congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the designation of Vietnam as a country of particular concern for religious freedom pursuant to section 402(b)(1) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)) would be a powerful and effective tool in highlighting abuses of religious freedom in Vietnam and in encouraging improvement in the respect for human rights in Vietnam; and (2) the Secretary of State should, in accordance with the recommendation of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, designate Vietnam as a country of particular concern for religious freedom.