The Trump Administration & US - Indo-Pacific Relations

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.

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Secretary Pompeo With Shekhar Gupta of The Print

"QUESTION: We’ve kept you busy, Secretary, in Delhi – what, 18 hours – on 19 hours, and I know that you’ve heard the word “China” more times than you can count. Now, we know that China is knocking at our doorsteps and that’s a clear and present issue. But what is there to this relationship that goes beyond the China problem?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah. So, many things. This was a good relationship long before the Chinese Communist Party started causing as much trouble as they’re…

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh Joint Press Availability at the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue

"SECRETARY ESPER: Minister Singh, Minister Jaishankar, Secretary Pompeo, it is great to be here in New Delhi and for the four of us to meet and to discuss the important issues of the day and indeed the important issues of the future.

As the world confronts a global pandemic and growing security challenges, the United States-India partnership is more important than ever to ensure security, stability, and prosperity of the region and the world.

Fifteen years after the conclusion of the first U.S.-India Defense Framework…

USTR and USDA Release Report on Agricultural Trade between the United States and China

"Washington, DC – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today issued a report highlighting the progress made to date in implementing the agricultural provisions in the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement, which is delivering historic results for American agriculture.

Since the Agreement entered into force, the United States and China have addressed a multitude of structural barriers in China that had been impeding exports of U.S. food and agricultural products. To date, China has…

Secretary Pompeo at a Press Availability - Indo-Pacific

"Look, today I want to talk about a number of multilateral initiatives that we’re advancing here at the State Department. We’re cooperating with our partners and allies and friends across the world in unprecedented ways. It’s been a hallmark of the administration that frankly deserves more attention.

Look, it starts with working to go out and meet with these people. This Sunday I’ll depart for India, for Sri Lanka, for the Maldives, and then on to Indonesia. On every stop I will discuss a broad…

Remarks by Secretary Ross at the 2020 Meeting of the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Virtual Meeting - China

"My thanks to the Advisory Councils and all of our federal agencies for your hard work and contributions to ending modern slavery. My Department stands together with you in full support of this important effort. And we are deploying our authorities and resources to rid our supply chains around the globe of these anathemas.

Notably, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry Security (BIS) has imposed export controls on entities demonstrating consistent abuses to human rights or whose surveillance technologies are enabling such activities. Since October…

The United States Imposes Sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong Persons for Activities Related to Supporting the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines

"The international community has long recognized that the Iranian regime uses the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) to transport proliferation-sensitive items intended for Iran’s ballistic missile and military programs. A provision of UN Security Council Resolution 1929 mandates vigilance when doing business with IRISL and entities owned or controlled by IRISL under certain circumstances. This provision is now in effect due to the snapback of UN sanctions.

Today, the United States is sanctioning six entities and two individuals for conduct related to IRISL…

Secretary Pompeo With Erick Erickson of The Erick Erickson Show on WSB Atlanta - China

"QUESTION: I’m great. I’m glad you could stop by this morning, because I was thinking every conversation I’ve had with the President or Vice President the last couple of months has involved conversations on China. And now with Apple rolling out its new iPhone next week in 5G, it just seems like we’re seeing American tech companies and even institutions in this country, like through Confucius Institutes, more and more entangled with China, and would love to pick your brain on that topic.

SECRETARY POMPEO…

Secretary Pompeo With Paul W. Smith of The Paul W. Smith Show on WJR Detroit - China

"QUESTION: You’re in the heart of the automotive industry, and a lot of things have been done in China, and have been – we’ve depended on China for buying a lot of our product over the last several years. What about travel to China?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So the Chinese Communist Party presents a very unique challenge for the United States of America. This is a nation that under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping desires frankly to destroy our way of life, the very…

Secretary Pompeo With Larry O’Connor of the Larry O’Connor Show - China

"QUESTION: Boy, there’s a lot going on in the news, and I know that you have been a busy man. I guess Secretary of State means you’re going to be traveling the world. But you’ve been very busy in the last week specifically with a trip to Japan, and that, of course, continues your focus on the Chinese Communist Party. Talk to me about what happened in Japan and where we stand right now with the Communist Party of China.

SECRETARY POMPEO: So it was…

Secretary Michael R. Pompeo With Guy Benson of The Guy Benson Show - China

"QUESTION: Shifting to China now, I saw a series of polls just in the last few days from Pew Research globally that showed huge spikes in negative views of the Chinese Government, the Chinese Communist Party, all around the advanced world. It’s not just Americans. Across the political spectrum. It’s Canadians. It’s Brits. It’s Australians. It’s Indians. It’s a whole host of people from across the world – Japanese as well.

I know that you’ve recently been in Japan. You’ve recently traveled to Europe. You’ve…

President Trump's Interview with Rush Limbaugh Interview - China

"Rush Limbaugh: (01:31:32)By the way, what’s the status of the stimulus package now, the COVID stimulus plan?

Donald Trump: (01:31:36)So I’d like to see it happen because it wasn’t … Look, a lot of people are being hurt because of China. It wasn’t these people’s fault. I would like to see it bigger, because maybe it helps or maybe it hurts negotiations. I would like to see a bigger package. I’d like to see money going to people. It was not their fault…