The 2016 Presidential Campaigns on Asia tracker highlighted mentions of Asia Pacific issues by US presidential candidates and nominees in speeches, campaign documents, and debates.
2016 US Presidential Campaigns on Asia
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Tim Kaine on North Korea
“Recent provocations by the North Koreans, including the ballistic missile launch and nuclear tests, violate numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions and pose a significant threat to both the United States and our allies in the region. I’m proud to join nearly all of my Senate colleagues in supporting legislation to sanction this rogue regime and give the Obama administration additional tools to confront this growing threat.” [Source] Statement While Serving as Senator of Virginia. February 10, 2016
*"Kim Jong Un’s…
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Tim Kaine on the South China Sea
"I was encouraged to see the final ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the case of the Philippines v. China over competing claims in the South China Sea. Today’s decision at The Hague demonstrates that existing international frameworks like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) are relevant and even more critical in today’s complex security environment; they provide a forum for resolving disputes responsibly and peacefully." [Source] Statement While Serving as Virginia Senator. July…
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Tim Kaine on the Trans-Pacific Partnership
“Fast track was to give President Obama the same tools to negotiate a trade deal that every president since Gerald Ford has had, and of course I voted for that. Why would I not give to this president the same tools to negotiate a trade deal that other presidents have had? [Senator Kaine was one of 13 Democratic Senators that voted to give President Obama Trade Promotion Athority]” [Source] Interview with The Intercept While Serving as Senator for Virginia. July 21…
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Donald Trump on Asia Pacific Allies and Partners
"So the young man from North Korea starts acting up and having one of his fits, we immediately get our ships going. We get our aircraft. We get nothing for this...I'm not saying that we're going to let anything happen to them. But [South Korea has] to help us.: [Source] NBC's Meet the Press Interview. August 16, 2015
"If somebody attacks Japan, we have to immediately go and start World War III, OK? If we get attacked, Japan doesn't have…
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Donald Trump on the Trans-Pacific Partnership
"The Trans-Pacific Partnership is an attack on America's business. It does not stop Japan's currency manipulation. This is a bad deal." [Source] Twitter. April 22, 2015
“I’m a free trader. But the problem with free trade is you need really talented people to negotiate for you. If you don’t have talented people, if you don’t have great leadership, if you don’t have people that know business, not just a political hack that got the job because he made a contribution to…
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Hillary Clinton on the South China Sea
“We do have to take a hard look at the defense budget and we do have to figure out how we get ready to fight the adversaries of the future, not the past. But we have to also be very clear that we do have some continuing challenges. We've got challenges in the South China Sea because of what China is doing in building up these military installations. We have problems with Russia. Just the other day, Russia allowed a television camera to see the…
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Hillary Clinton on Human Rights and Democracy in Asia
"Xi [Jinping] hosting a meeting on women's rights at the UN while persecuting feminists? Shameless." [Source] Twitter. September 7, 2015
“The Burmese election on Sunday was an important, though imperfect, step forward in the country’s long journey toward democracy. It was also an affirmation of the indispensable role the United States can and should play in the world as a champion of peace and progress. When I was Secretary of State, President Obama and I worked with Aung San Suu Kyi…
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Hillary Clinton on North Korea
“North Korea’s goal is to blackmail the world into easing the pressure on its rogue regime. We can’t give in to or in any way encourage this kind of bullying. Instead, we should increase pressure and send Pyongyang an unmistakable message that its nuclear brinksmanship won’t succeed.” [Source] Statement on North Korea's Apparent Nuclear Test. January 6, 2016
"North Korea’s decision to conduct another nuclear test is outrageous and unacceptable. I strongly condemn this reckless action, which – coupled with its…
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Donald Trump on North Korea
“Well, first of all, it's not only Russia. We have problems with North Korea where they actually have nuclear weapons. You know, nobody talks about it, we talk about Iran, and that's one of the worst deals ever made. One of the worst contracts ever signed, ever, in anything, and it's a disgrace. But, we have somebody over there, a madman, who already has nuclear weapons we don't talk about that. That's a problem.” [Source] 4th Republican Debate. November 10, 2015
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Hillary Clinton on Asia Pacific Allies and Partners
"We had hundreds of thousands of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our best allies and friends in Europe and Asia were really put out with us because of the way they'd been treated by the Bush administration and were very skeptical that the United States was a good ally any longer and wanted to lead the world toward peace, prosperity and security. I spent so much of my time getting back the confidence and the trust of our friends and allies around the world."…
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Hillary Clinton on China
“China’s rise is the story of the twenty-first century how we handle that how we respond to it will determine our future and the world’s future. I want to see a peaceful rise for China I worked very hard on that as Secretary of State and I will continue to do so. But we also have to be fully vigilant, China's military is growing very quickly, they're establishing military installations that again threaten countries we have treaties with, like the Philippines because they are building…
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Hillary Clinton on the Trans-Pacific Partnership
“In my time, eight years in the Senate, I voted for some trade agreements and I voted against others. I think I have a pretty good idea of what we can do to meet the tests that I believe any trade agreement, especially TPP must meet. It needs to, number one, protect American workers, number two, it needs to raise wages and create good jobs at home, number three, it needs to be in our national security interests. I’ve been saying that for months. Now…