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
All Posts
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President Trump's Meeting with Philippine President Duterte
"U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met in Manila, Philippines on November 13, 2017, to discuss a broad range of shared interests and priorities. Both leaders praised the enduring United States-Philippines Alliance, built on a strong foundation of shared values, sacrifices, and history, and bolstered by common interests, people-to-people ties, and full respect for legal and diplomatic processes. They pledged to expand cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the bilateral alliance—a 70-year partnership that has stood the test of time…
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President Trump's Trip to Vietnam
"The United States and Vietnam released a Joint Statement sending a clear message to the region of close and expanding cooperation and coordination between the two nations. The United States and Vietnam reached an agreement for the United States to acquire land in Hanoi to construct a new embassy compound, a tangible example of the growing partnership between the two nations. The two nations concluded a new Three Year Plan of Action for Defense Cooperation, which will increase bilateral naval activities. The United States formally…
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Remarks by President Trump Before Bilateral Meeting with Vietnamese President Quang - North Korea and China
"The North Korean situation continues to be a problem. I think that China -- as you know, we saw -- we were in China yesterday and the day before. And President Xi, I think, is going to be a tremendous help. I hope Russia, likewise, will be a tremendous help. I think they can make a big difference. I know that South Korea and Japan are very much unified in the sense that they want to be able to take care of a problem that's…
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Remarks by President Trump Before Bilateral Meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phuc
"Important to me is trade, because right now we have a very substantial trade imbalance with Vietnam -- approximately $32 billion, which is a tremendous amount of money. And we have to take care of our American companies and we have to take care of American workers. And perhaps the administrations previous to me didn’t like the subject, understand the subject -- something was wrong -- because there are so many problems having to do with trade imbalance. So we want to get that straightened…
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Joint Statement between the United States of America and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
"At the invitation of President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang, President of the United States of America Donald J. Trump paid a state visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, from November 11 to12, 2017. The two leaders discussed measures to strengthen and expand the Comprehensive Partnership between their two countries based on mutual understanding, shared interests, and a common desire to promote peace, cooperation, prosperity, and security in the Indo-Pacific region. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening ties on the basis of…
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President Trump's Participation in the 25th APEC Summit
“President Trump and other APEC leaders underlined APEC’s crucial role in support of a trading system that is free and open, but also fair. APEC leaders recognized the importance of reciprocal and mutually advantageous trade and investment frameworks, and committed to work together to address unfair trade practices. The President and his counterparts urgently called for the removal of market-distorting subsidies and other types of support by governments and related entities. President Trump delivered a strong public message at the APEC CEO Summit that the…
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Remarks by President Trump and Vietnamese President Quang
"Our decades-long joint humanitarian efforts with the Vietnamese people and government to account for and recover personnel still missing -- so important to us -- from the war honors these horrors of this horrendous war. We want our servicemembers support -- and we give total support to the families, and we strengthen the foundation of our comprehensive partnership. That is so important to us. [...] Moving forward, I welcome Vietnam’s commitment to eliminating trade barriers for U.S. agricultural products. It's very important. We must ensure…
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Remarks by President Trump in Press Gaggle Abroad Air Force One - China and Trade
"And on trade, you know, it was -- most of the news covered it fairly. Some didn't. When I said it's not your fault -- because I was saying how China has been hurting us on trade for many decades, for many years -- and it really is. It's not his fault. We should have been doing that. But we didn't do it. It's the fault of the administrations that preceded me. And we're not going to do that anymore; we're going to be very…
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President Donald J. Trump's State Visit to China
"From November 8th through 10th, China hosted President Donald J. Trump on an official state visit, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Trump and President Xi had candid and in-depth conversations about United States-China relations, as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern. The two presidents affirmed that the United States-China relationship is shaped by shared interests and a common commitment to addressing global challenges. Both leaders committed to expand areas of cooperation and generate positive outcomes for the benefit…
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President Trump's Visit to China
“President Trump and President Xi reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the goal of full, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and stated they will not accept the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state. […] The two sides had a candid and constructive exchange of views on regional security and maritime issues and reaffirmed the importance of reducing the risk between our two militaries while maintaining the longstanding American commitment to free and open navigation for all nations. […] The President underscored the importance…