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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Remarks by Vice President Pence at the Lord Mayor’s International Trade Dinner - South Korea, Japan, and China
"And since we took office, the President has pursued an ambitious trade agenda built on the principles of free and fair and reciprocal trade. We made a new trade deal with South Korea. We reached an agreement in principle with Japan for a free trade agreement. We’ve put China on notice. We ended the era of economic surrender by using the power of the United States economy. And this morning, we announced that negotiations on a new trade deal with China will resume in October."
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Remarks by Vice President Pence and Prime Minister Jakobsdóttir of Iceland Before Bilateral Meeting - China
"VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: [...] And we’re also grateful, with China’s increased activity and efforts to make the economic investments in the region, that, so far, Iceland has declined the Belt and Road Initiative.
And we also spoke today — and perhaps we can again — about the United States’ concerns about 5G and our desire to work with Iceland and other freedom-loving nations to find alternatives to essentially China’s state-based 5G operation."
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Remarks by President Trump in Briefing on Hurricane Dorian - China
"Q Sir, if this storm stays on track, going through Georgia and the Carolinas —
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah.
Q — it will hit farmland. Many farmers are already having problems there. What do you have in place to help them if there is devastation —
THE PRESIDENT: Good question.
Q — as there has been in the past?
THE PRESIDENT: We’re very well prepared for that. Last time, if you remember, when it hit Mexico Beach, we — wiped out a large, large farm areas…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence in a Press Gaggle - China
"Q What action should be taken to address China and Russia in the area? Which steps should be taken? What action?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, first, let me begin by saying what I told the Foreign Minister today: The United States is grateful for the stand Iceland took rejecting China’s Belt and Road financial investment in Iceland. We truly believe that it is essential that we strengthen the ties that bind nations across this region of the world. And for Iceland to take that stand…
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Remarks by President Trump at the Announcement of State Opioid Response Grants - China
"Q Mr. President, back on China. Before you even became President, the relationship with this nation and China was complicated. And now, tensions have escalated with a war of words.
THE PRESIDENT: I don’t think it’s complicated, April. I think it’s very simple. We can’t be ripped off by China anymore. You know, I think he understands that. I actually think our relationship now is much less complicated than it was previous to me, when they were ripping off our country.
Q So here’s the…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence and Taoiseach Varadkar of Ireland in Joint Press Statement - China
"VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: [...] As the United States continues our negotiations with China for a free and fair reciprocal trade deal, as you and I discussed today, the United States urges Ireland and all our allies in Europe to reject equipment that could compromise the integrity of our shared telecom infrastructure.
It is well known that Chinese law requires Chinese telecom companies to provide Beijing’s vast security apparatus with access to any data that touches their network. And we believe, in the United States, that…
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Remarks by President Trump After Marine One Arrival - China
"Q On China, sir, the new tariffs (inaudible) — have you spoken to President Xi?
THE PRESIDENT: So China is moving along. We’re doing very well. It was brought out very strongly today by a number of great economists that, because China has devalued their currency so much, that, in fact, they are actually paying for all of the tariffs. We have — in addition to that, as you know, they’re pouring money into their economy. So those two things, they are paying for their…
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Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure - China and Hong Kong
Q Are the tariffs that you’re planning for China still on for Sunday? Or are you considering not putting them on?
THE PRESIDENT: No, they’re on. They’re on. We’ve taken in billions and billions of dollars from those tariffs. And as it’s starting to come out, if you look at the Chinese government — China — what they’ve done with tariffs is very interesting. They’ve devalued their currency so much, which hurts them ultimately. It costs them much more to buy things outside of China.
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