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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Interview of Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry With Brian Sullivan of CNBC - China
"QUESTION: First to you, Secretary Pompeo. You were just talking on stage about China. China would like to develop its own oil and gas assets in many disputed waters. What is the greatest tool that we have got from an energy policy perspective to blunt their growing influence and their desire to capture their own oil and gas in those disputed waters?
SECRETARY POMPEO: So, Brian, thanks for having me on the show. There’s two. One is the rule of law. The fundamental idea that…
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Secretary Pompeo's Keynote Address at CERAWeek - China and Southeast Asia
"Take China, just for starters. China’s illegal island-building in international waterways isn’t simply a security matter.
By blocking development in the South China Sea through coercive means, China prevents ASEAN members from accessing more than $2.5 trillion in recoverable energy reserves. To contrast, the United States Government promotes energy security for those Southeast Asian nations. We want countries in the region to have access to their own energy. We want to help them. We want to create partnerships. We want transparent transactions, not debt traps…
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President Trump's Remarks on China and North Korea
"Q Mr. President, we’re hearing rumblings from China that they’re not really positive about a trade deal and that perhaps (inaudible) may not happen. Where is that?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I haven’t heard that. I think they’re doing well. But if it happened that way, we’ll do even better. We’ll do very well either way, with or without a deal. But you’re telling me something that I have not heard.
Q Do you feel confident that you can get a trade deal with China?
THE…
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Vice President Pence's Remarks at the National Association of Manufacturers Board Meeting in Arizona - China
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Secretary Pompeo's Remarks to the Iowa Farm Bureau - China, Vietnam, India, and North Korea
"I want to talk about agriculture and innovation and our relationship with China. The two, as you know, are deeply intertwined.
In 1980, a now very famous man, the then-governor of Guangdong Province, led the first-ever Chinese governors’ delegation here to the United States, and they traveled straight here, straight to Iowa.
A few years later, his son followed in his father’s footsteps with a visit here and struck up a friendship with the governor. Today, President Trump and President Xi deal with each other…
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Secretary Pompeo's Remarks to the Future Farmers of America - China
"I just came back from Vietnam, from Hanoi, and I also traveled to the Philippines, to Manila, on that trip. Did anybody watch the President in Hanoi working to try and get the nuclear weapons out of North Korea? Did you all see on TV? We made some progress. We didn’t get to where we had hoped to be, and I think there’s a lesson in that. I think there’s a lot more work to do there. But the threat, the threat that’s posed to…
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Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Van Harden and Bonnie Lucas of Van and Bonnie in the Morning, WHO Radio - China
MR HARDEN: Wow. You know that second part we’ve had a lot of uncertainty with a lot of the China stuff, and I know that you know when Ambassador Branstad was governor here we used to get to talk to him all the time, but we haven’t really heard – I’m sure he’s been playing a big part of all of this you’re working on.
SECRETARY POMPEO: He has. In fact, he’s back with me today. He’s going to be traveling around with me. In…
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Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Cynthia Fodor of KCCI - China
"QUESTION: Well, we certainly have a lot of Iowans who have – who are now on the national stage or have been, and Governor Branstad is one – Ambassador Branstad now is one of those, and he is back with you. And I understand you will be talking about China today. Of course, you know how important this is to Iowa agriculture and farmers, and we are hearing this morning reports that we are fairly close to a trade deal with China. How close are…
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Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Sabrina Ahmed of WOI - China
"QUESTION: What is the status of those negotiations? We’ve heard a lot that maybe there might be --
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah.
QUESTION: They might be coming to an end sometime this month. (Laughter.)
SECRETARY POMPEO: So I’ve been in a lot of negotiations too. It’s never over till it’s over, but they’ve made a lot of progress, and so I’m very hopeful that in the coming days and weeks, there’ll be a significant announcement. You saw the President make the ask of China – I…
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Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Clay Masters of Morning Edition, Iowa Public Radio - China
"QUESTION: So Secretary, I’m curious here just speaking on Chinese trade tariffs and concerns over trade here in Iowa. Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural Rural Development found overall losses in Iowa’s gross state product are calculated to be at a loss about $1-2 billion. Big hits for the soybean industry, upwards of $891 million. I mean, pretty alarming impacts. Do you think these calculations are correct and do they concern you?
SECRETARY POMPEO: I’m always concerned when an American industry, an important American industry…
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Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Doug Wagner of WMT Morning Show, WMT Radio - China
"QUESTION: Exactly. You’re in Iowa for a number of reasons. You’ve got a very, very full schedule today. Let’s start off by talking about a Wall Street Journal report talking about could be close to a real comprehensive trade deal with China that sort of wraps everything up that we’ve been talking about here in the Midwest in Ag Country for about a year now.
SECRETARY POMPEO: Well I’m very hopeful. Lots of progress has certainly been made. I’ve been involved in a lot of…
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Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Scott Thuman of Sinclair Broadcast Group - China
"QUESTION: Let’s start with what the President just said on this. He said: I’ve asked China to immediately remove all tariffs on our agricultural products. This is very important to me and our great farmers. How critical is it that this end?
SECRETARY POMPEO: So the agricultural community is incredibly important to America and incredibly important to American national security. Every country I travel to I talk to them about how we can sell more American goods there, how we can export our crops, our…