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.

Methodology

All Posts

Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Rich Edson of Fox News -

"QUESTION: And North Korea, that always seems to be a part of the discussions. In his New Year’s address, Kim Jong-un floated a production cap and a pledge not to transfer arms in exchange for sanctions relief. Can you rule that out as a possibility, because that would be sanctions relief before the complete, verifiable denuclearization?

SECRETARY POMPEO: The good news is our conversations with North Korea continue. They’re out in the public light, they are going to remain so, so I won’t share with…

Secretary Pompeo's Interview with Wilfred Frost of CNBC - China and North Korea

"QUESTION: I want to move on and talk about China. Mr. Secretary, has the trade war with China impacted your job, made it harder? Has it hurt diplomacy?

SECRETARY POMPEO: Trade is an element of what it is that we do. So we have many challenges that were identified in the President’s National Security Strategy on China. Trade is certainly amongst them, but we’re making progress there. I hope we continue to make progress, and I hope too that we’ll make progress on all of…

Secretary Pompeo's Interview with Sean Hannity - North Korea

Secretary Pompeo's Remarks on Bangladesh's Election

"The United States commends the tens of millions of Bangladeshis who voted in Bangladesh’s 11th parliamentary election on December 30, 2018, as well as the decision of all major opposition political parties to participate, a positive development after the boycotted election of 2014.

The United States remains deeply invested in the future of Bangladesh and its democratic development. The United States is Bangladesh’s largest foreign investor, largest single-country market for Bangladeshi exports, and home to a large community of Americans of Bangladeshi origin.

In this…

Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Steve Inskeep of NPR - North Korea

"QUESTION: Let me ask about another subject. Has North Korea’s Kim Jong-un let you down?

SECRETARY POMPEO: We’ve known from the very first trip that I took when I was in a previous role that the challenge of denuclearizing North Korea was not one that would be something that would be easy or without bumps in the road or would occur in a way that was like instant pudding. The world doesn’t quite work that way.

We have diplomatically, relentlessly worked to support the President’s…

Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Bryce Dolan of 550 KFRM-AM - China

"QUESTION: So switching topics here, Mr. Secretary, leading up to ongoing trade negotiations. How would you explain China’s attitude towards the United States?

SECRETARY POMPEO: China has had for a long time before this administration an incredibly unfair trade relationship with our country. I saw that when I was a member of Congress from Kansas. Farmers who tried to sell their products into China, our aviation builders, our manufacturers all across the state couldn’t get a fair shake. There weren’t reciprocal, fair arrangements between the…

Joint Statement by Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen: Chinese Actors Compromise Global Managed Service Providers

"Since at least 2014, Chinese cyber actors associated with the Chinese Ministry of State Security have hacked multiple U.S. and global managed service and cloud providers. These Chinese actors used this access to compromise the networks of the providers’ clients, including global companies located in at least 12 countries.

The United States is concerned that this activity violates the 2015 U.S.-China cyber commitments made by President Xi Jinping to refrain from conducting or knowingly supporting “cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other…

Secretary Pompeo's Meeting With Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Jr.

"Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin, Jr., at the Department of State today. The Secretary reaffirmed the enduring U.S.-Philippines alliance, including commitments under the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951. The two Secretaries discussed ongoing efforts to address regional issues such as the South China Sea, North Korea, and counterterrorism. Secretary Pompeo and Secretary Locsin also explored opportunities to increase people-to-people ties between our two countries, our longstanding commitment to human rights, and our cooperation to strengthen the Philippines’…

Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Steve and Ted in the Morning of KNSS Radio - North Korea and China

"QUESTION: Just fine. And we certainly are able to keep track of you these days. You are front and center. This is – could you please, first of all, update us on what’s happening between the U.S. and North Korea these days?

SECRETARY POMPEO: You bet. So, Ted, first of all, thanks for giving me a few minutes to come back on the show. I have great memories of doing this when I was a member of Congress. And now I got this privilege where…

Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Brian Grimmett of KMUW Wichita Public Radio - China

"QUESTION: My first question is kind of a two-part question. And the first part of it is, what is it – from your perspective as Secretary of State and what you do working with other countries’ leaders, what is kind of the goal of the tariffs with China? And is achieving that goal worth the cost to farmers and manufacturers here in the United States?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So the President’s mission with respect to trade in China is very, very clear. I saw this when…

Secretary Pompeo's Interview With Brian Grimmett of KMUW Wichita Public Radio - North Korea

"QUESTION: Just lastly, because our time is running short, what are the next steps in talks or plans for talks with North Korea? And do you think that they are living up to some of the agreements that President Trump made the last time that he met with Kim Jong-un?

SECRETARY POMPEO: So I never talk about the actual discussions we’re having, because they’re private conversations on how to work our pathway forward toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We’re very hopeful that we…

Secretary Pompeo's Meeting With New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters

"Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met today with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters at the Department of State. Secretary Pompeo thanked Foreign Minister Peters for New Zealand’s continued support in working towards the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea as agreed to by Chairman Kim Jong Un and for New Zealand’s assistance in countering terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. They discussed the strategic relationship between the United States and New Zealand, our strong trade and commercial ties, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region in partnership…