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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Remarks by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi of India in Joint Press Statement

"PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, thank you very much. And, Prime Minister Modi, this has been a very special visit — unforgettable, extraordinary. What can you say? Very, very wonderful to be with you. Thank you very much.

And Melania and I have been awed by the majesty of India and the exceptional kindness and generosity of the Indian people.

We’ll always remember the magnificent welcome the citizens of your home state showed us upon arrival. It was a profound expression of strength and of — of…

Remarks by President Trump in Press Conference - Various Issues in the Indo-Pacific

"THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Please. So we had a couple of really great days in India. Prime Minister Modi is a terrific man. He’s a terrific leader. And we have a lot of things going in terms of product being purchased by India.

We just had a meeting. A lot of the press was there. I thought it was a great meeting with some of the biggest businessmen in the world. They come from India. They’re agreeing to invest billions and billions of…

President Trump's Remarks During State Visit to India

Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha

"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in a trilateral meeting on the margins of the Munich Security Conference. Secretary Pompeo, Foreign Minister Kang, and Foreign Minister Motegi reaffirmed close cooperation on the DPRK and discussed a coordinated response to the coronavirus outbreak and other global security concerns. They also emphasized the importance of the U.S.-ROK and U.S.-Japan Alliances to security and prosperity as a key part of the Indo-Pacific…

Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith

"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith in Washington, DC. Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister Saleumxay discussed efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Laos Comprehensive Partnership by deepening political, security, economic, and people-to-people ties. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister affirmed a shared commitment to promote a strong, prosperous, and independent Indo-Pacific region. They also discussed plans for the upcoming meeting between President Trump and ASEAN leaders, as well as U.S. plans for expanding engagement in the Mekong region."

Readout from Secretary Esper's Minister with New Zealand Minister of Defence Ron Mark

"Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper met today with New Zealand Minister of Defence Ron Mark at the Pentagon.

Secretary Esper and Minister Mark discussed bilateral defense relations and reviewed pressing regional and global security issues. The meeting reinforced the close relationship between New Zealand and the United States, one of our closest and most reliable partners.

Secretary Esper and Minister Mark committed to continued close cooperation and collaboration on a wide range of defense and security priorities."

Joint Statement on Sixtieth Anniversary of the Signing of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security Between the United States of America and Japan

"The text of the following statement was released by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper for the Government of the United States of America and by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Taro Kono for the Government of Japan on the occasion of 60th Anniversary of the Signing of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States of America and Japan.

Begin Text:

Sixty years ago, on January 19, Japan and the United States of America…

President Trump Signs Trade Agreement with China

Remarks by President Trump in Luncheon with Vice Premier Liu He of the People’s Republic of China

"PRESIDENT TRUMP: I thought that we would do it the way other; that the more I thought about this, the better it is. It’s — you can get your arms around it better the way we’ve got it. I like it better the way we’ve done it.

I just want to say this is a great day for both China and the United States. This is an agreement that people have been talking about for 40 years and never were able to get even a…

Trilateral Meeting between Secretary Pompeo, Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi

"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in Silicon Valley, California. Secretary Pompeo, Foreign Minister Kang, and Foreign Minister Motegi emphasized the importance of the U.S.-ROK and U.S.-Japan Alliances to security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world. They also stressed that trilateral cooperation is essential to ensure the future of peace in the region."

Secretary Pompeo’s Meeting with Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha

"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang in Silicon Valley, California. Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister Kang reaffirmed continued close U.S.-ROK coordination on North Korea. The Secretary and Foreign Minister Kang praised the enduring strength of the U.S.-ROK Alliance and reiterated their commitment to cooperation across the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy and the ROK New Southern Policy. They also discussed the importance of U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation and pledged to continue to work closely together on an array of…