This resource tracked statements, developments, visits, and other interactions in US-Indo-Pacific relations under the President Trump administration. Special focus was given to the comments and activities of President Donald J. Trump; Vice President Mike Pence; United States Trade Representative Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, Jr.; former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson; former Secretary of Defense James Mattis; and former Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark Esper.
The Trump Administration & US - Indo-Pacific Relations
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Secretary Ross's Remarks on Chinese Investment and the US Response
"As competitors like China explore opportunities to leverage state financing to pave economic inroads, U.S. government foreign investment entities remain fragmented and outdated. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the leading U.S. development finance institution, is unable to compete with its Chinese counterpart. Unlike Chinese institutions, OPIC works to fund private sector-led projects that will be economically sound over the long haul. Yet the agency lacks any consistent Congressional authorization and has no way of leveraging new financial tools that have drastically changed the face of…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence in Office Call with Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
"Indo-Pacific Command oversees 50 percent of the world’s population — U.S. military operations — across 14 time zones. And the leadership that you’ve provided and that your entire team provides contributes to the safety and security of the American people. I hope you will convey our gratitude and appreciation to the some 380,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard that operate under this combatant command. America is more secure every day because of the service of the men and women beneath your command."
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Remarks by Vice President Pence at Honorable Carry Ceremony for US Service Members Repatriated from North Korea
"Sixty-five years ago last week, the armistice was signed to bring the Korean War to its close. From the moment the guns fell silent, American soldiers returned home, some to their families and futures, and some to their eternal rest. But more than 8,000 Americans did not come home at all.
Our nation has worked tirelessly to keep our sacred promise to leave no man behind. And while several hundred of the missing fallen have been returned, for more than a decade, as a result…
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President Donald J. Trump Signs S. 2245 into Law - New Zealand
"On Wednesday, August 1, 2018, the President signed into law: S. 2245, the “Knowledgeable Innovators and Worthy Investors Act or the KIWI Act,” which makes New Zealand nationals eligible to enter the United States as nonimmigrant traders and investors provided New Zealand grants reciprocal treatment to U.S. nationals"
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Statement By U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Section 301 Action
“On June 18, the President directed me to identify $200 billion worth of Chinese goods for additional tariffs at a rate of 10 percent, in response to China’s decision to cause further harm to U.S. workers, farmers, and businesses by imposing retaliatory duties on U.S. goods. I initiated this process on July 10. This week, the President has directed that I consider increasing the proposed level of the additional duty from 10 percent to 25 percent. The 25 percent duty would be applied to the…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence at the DHS Cybersecurity Summit - North Korea and China
"The federal government alone experiences hundreds of thousands of digital assaults every day. And across the entire country, the number of attacks on our digital infrastructure is impossible to calculate. Our digital foes are targeting every facet of our society. [...] They extort our hard-earned money, as we saw in the North Korean “WannaCry” attack that held more than 200,000 devices in 150 countries hostage, demanding a ransom. Foreign interests also routinely steal trade secrets from some of our most important industries. As our administration’s…