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 Mattis's Remarks on the US-Australia Relationship
"In these past 12 months, we have strengthened our defense cooperation in many tangible ways, finalizing our respective national security and defense strategies to address shared threats and increasing our coordination of joint capabilities development. We’ve enhanced our interoperability and our cooperation in the region through Exercise RIMPAC and numerous other exercises, and that’s continuing our 100-year tradition of teamwork, or mateship as our friends from Down Under call it. Minister Payne and I signed a cyber memorandum of understanding to enable our countries to…
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Secretary Mattis's Remarks on Australia, China, and the South China Sea
"Well, we’re totally aligned, Australia and the United States, with what we want as an end state in the Pacific, and that is of course the free and the open Indo-Pacific, where nations large and small are treated with respect for their territorial integrity, for their sovereignty, their sovereign decisions. And I think that as we look at the South China Sea, our concern is that features that have never been militarized before have been militarized by the PRC. We’ve been very – over several…
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USTR Robert Lighthizer Statement on Agriculture Assistance Against Illegal Trade Retaliation
"U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer today released the following statement regarding the President’s decision for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist farmers and ranchers affected by illegal retaliation on trade by other countries: 'President Trump is taking strong action, as he promised, to make sure America’s farmers and ranchers are not left to bear the brunt of illegal retaliation by China and other countries. The Trump Administration will continue to defend our economy from unfair trading practices and work to advance free, fair and…
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Remarks by President Trump at the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States National Convention - North Korea
"We’re also pursuing the denuclearization of North Korea and a new future of prosperity, security, and peace on the Korean Peninsula and all of Asia. New images, just today, show that North Korea has begun the process of dismantling a key missile site. And we appreciate that. (Applause.) We had a fantastic meeting with Chairman Kim, and it seems to be going very well. I know we are joined today by many incredible veterans of the Korean War. Thank you for your courageous service. As…
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Secretary Pompeo's Remarks on Religious Freedom in China and Myanmar
"Around the world, adherents from innumerable faith backgrounds suffer similar violations of their most fundamental human rights. Earlier this year, the State Department hosted six United States-based Uighur journalists with Radio Free Asia’s Uighur Service. Their reporting indicates that Chinese authorities are likely detaining, at least, hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in internment camps in Xinjiang. One journalist, Gulchehra Hoja, shared that 23 of her family members have been detained in the region. She, like others, have little to no information…
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Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Zoe Daniel of Australian Broadcast Corporation - North Korea
"He made a commitment. Chairman Kim promised. He did so in writing, he did so to the President privately as I understand it, but I also heard him do so in a larger gathering, the third time I’d had the chance to meet Chairman Kim. In each case, he has made clear his intent to denuclearize. Until such time, the world continues to demand that he gets rid of those weapons. They are a threat to the people of North Korea. President Trump’s made very…
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Secretary Ross's Remarks on Workforce Training - China
"The shortage of the most highly trained technologists and engineers is both an economic and a national security issue. One of the biggest risks our employers and our military contractors face is having foreign nationals steal their most important asset — their intellectual property — and provide it to our overseas competitors. Last week, Apple filed criminal charges against one of its former Chinese employees for stealing its IP involving the company’s autonomous vehicle development program. That engineer is accused of providing trade secrets to…
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President Trump Interview with CNBC - Trade with China
"I really like President Xi a lot, but it was very unfair, so I raised 50. We’re down 500. Now some people would say $375 billion. I’m not talking about million. I’m not talking about pennies. I’m talking about – we’re down $375 billion, but other estimates could say 507, it doesn’t matter. So it’s in between there, or it’s there. We’re down a tremendous amount. I raised 50, and they matched us. I said, 'You don’t match us. You can’t match us because otherwise…