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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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…
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Secretary Pompeo With Tony Katz of The Morning News on WIBC Indianapolis - China
"QUESTION: Tony Katz. So great to be with you. We have talked often about China’s influence in the United States and how China tries to work (inaudible) on college campuses, where you’re not able to speak out against China. One of the ways they do this is with Confucius Institutes. We’ve had these conversations with Congressman Jim Banks of the Indiana Third. Before, we’ve seen Confucius Institutes removed from college campuses. Chuck Grassley, senator from Iowa, referring to Confucius Institutes as fronts for Chinese propaganda.
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Joint Communique of the 52nd U.S.-Republic of Korea Security Consultative Meeting
"1. The 52nd United States (U.S.)-Republic of Korea (ROK) Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) was held in Washington, D.C., on October 14, 2020. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and ROK Minister of National Defense Suh Wook led their respective delegations, which included senior defense and foreign affairs officials. On October 13, 2020, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, and ROK Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Won In-choul, presided over the 45th U.S.-ROK Military Committee Meeting (MCM).
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Secretary Pompeo at a Press Availability - Indo-Pacific
Today I’m also pleased to announce that Assistant Secretary Robert Destro – right here; good to see you – that Assistant Secretary Robert Destro of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor will also serve simultaneously as the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.
He will focus on advancing dialogue between the communist-run government in Beijing and the Dalai Lama; protecting the distinct religious, cultural, and linguistic identity of Tibetans; improving respect for their human rights; and much, much more.
Of course, yesterday China…
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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…
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Secretary Pompeo With Greg Kelly of Greg Kelly Reports on Newsmax TV - China
"QUESTION: You bet. Listen, I’ve got some good news and bad news. We’ll start with the bad news. A major media organization has called you the worst secretary of state ever. But the good news is that’s coming from the China state-affiliated media. (Laughter.) Which I think is possibly the greatest endorsement a U.S. secretary of state could get. Were you aware of that report?
SECRETARY POMPEO: I’ve seen what the Chinese media has said about me. It’s state media, it’s directed by General Xi…
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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…
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Secretary Pompeo With Hugh Hewitt of the Hugh Hewitt Show - China and Taiwan
"QUESTION: Now, at the same time that the U.S. is leading internationally and nationally the anti-virus response, the image of China, according to Pew Research, has plummeted. A new 14-country Pew Research Center survey shows that a majority in each of the surveyed countries has an unfavorable opinion of China. Do you believe, Mr. Secretary, that the world has the number of the Chinese Communist Party? They were responsible for this nightmare. They hid it. They covered it up. They still cover it up.
SECRETARY…
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Secretary Pompeo With Dana Perino of The Daily Briefing on Fox News - China
"QUESTION: All right. I wanted to ask you about China because there was a light touch of that topic at the vice presidential debate this past week, and I feel like the American people maybe deserve a little bit more on that topic since it is one I know that takes up a lot of your time. I know you recently met with the Quad – that’s a group that started in 2007 of our allies – to try to address how we are going…
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Readout of U.S. Secretary Esper's Phone Call With Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Suh Wook
"Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper spoke today with Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of National Defense Suh Wook and the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a steadfast ROK-U.S. Alliance and to the combined defense posture.
During the call, Secretary Esper congratulated Minister Suh on his new position and noted that he looked forward to hosting Minister Suh at the Pentagon for the 52nd Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) later this month. Minister Suh expressed his appreciation for Secretary Esper’s hospitality and committed to proactively…
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Secretary Pompeo with Yoshio Arima of NHK - Indo-Pacific
"QUESTION: But during this very serious moment, you are visiting Japan, far away from White House. So why is that important? What is such important issues you have to talk with allies here in Tokyo?
SECRETARY POMPEO: So there were two reasons I needed to be here today. The first is I wanted to extend my congratulations and greetings to Prime Minister Suga, talk to him about the important bilateral relationship between our countries. We have a long, warm, historic relationship between the people of…
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Readout of Secretary Esper's Phone Call With Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi
"On October 6, Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper spoke with Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi by phone to congratulate Minister Kishi on his appointment as Minister of Defense. Secretary Esper and Minister Kishi advanced ongoing discussions on the response to COVID-19, security issues in the Indo-Pacific region, and continued cooperation to implement U.S. forces realignment initiatives."