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 American Legion’s 100th National Convention
"And earlier this summer, as our President secured a historic commitment for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, he also had our fallen on his heart. President Trump secured a promise from Chairman Kim to return the remains of all our missing fallen servicemembers lost in the Korean War.
And I will tell you, this son of that combat veteran from the Korean War was honored beyond words to be there when the first 55 flag-draped cases bearing the remains of our missing fallen…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence on the Future of the U.S. Military in Space - China
"For many years, nations from Russia and China to North Korea and Iran have pursued weapons to jam, blind, and disable our navigation and communications satellites via electronic attacks from the ground.
But recently, our adversaries have been working to bring new weapons of war into space itself. In 2007, China launched a missile that tracked and destroyed one of its own satellites — a highly provocative demonstration of China’s growing capability to militarize space.
Russia has been designing an airborne laser to disrupt our…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence in Office Call with Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
"Indo-Pacific Command oversees 50 percent of the world’s population — U.S. military operations — across 14 time zones. And the leadership that you’ve provided and that your entire team provides contributes to the safety and security of the American people. I hope you will convey our gratitude and appreciation to the some 380,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard that operate under this combatant command. America is more secure every day because of the service of the men and women beneath your command."
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Remarks by Vice President Pence at Honorable Carry Ceremony for US Service Members Repatriated from North Korea
"Sixty-five years ago last week, the armistice was signed to bring the Korean War to its close. From the moment the guns fell silent, American soldiers returned home, some to their families and futures, and some to their eternal rest. But more than 8,000 Americans did not come home at all.
Our nation has worked tirelessly to keep our sacred promise to leave no man behind. And while several hundred of the missing fallen have been returned, for more than a decade, as a result…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence at the DHS Cybersecurity Summit - North Korea and China
"The federal government alone experiences hundreds of thousands of digital assaults every day. And across the entire country, the number of attacks on our digital infrastructure is impossible to calculate. Our digital foes are targeting every facet of our society. [...] They extort our hard-earned money, as we saw in the North Korean “WannaCry” attack that held more than 200,000 devices in 150 countries hostage, demanding a ransom. Foreign interests also routinely steal trade secrets from some of our most important industries. As our administration’s…
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Vice President Pence's Remarks on Repatriation of US Service Members's Remains from North Korea
"Thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump, North Korea committed to return the remains of our American service members who fell in the Korean War. This agreement was deeply meaningful to so many families across America and demonstrated once again the President’s unwavering commitment to the courageous men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States. President Trump asked that I travel to Hawaii on August 1 to participate in the Honorable Carry Ceremony and receive the remains as they return…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence at the U.S. Department of Commerce - China
"The evidence is clear: China is implementing a sustained, centralized, and strategic effort to undermine America’s global economic leadership. The Chinese use ownership and investment restrictions to force American companies to hand over technological blueprints. China imposes licensing requirements that unfairly favor its own businesses. And China has enacted long-term industrial plans that prop up state-owned companies with massive government subsidies, and enable them to overwhelm American companies with an over-supply of underpriced goods. [...] Earlier this month, our administration began implementing up to $5…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence at Rockwell Collins - China
"And for the first time in 13 years, American beef is going to China. And we’re going to continue to work hard to lower the trade barriers. The President is over at a NATO Summit, but I guarantee you he’s talking about trade and he’s talking about American agriculture. The truth of the matter is, the President really does believe, and we all believe, that for too long America’s trading relationships with many of our leading trade partners have been too one-sided, with those countries…
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Remarks by Vice President Pence at “Tax Cuts to Put America First” Event - China
"Under President Trump, we’re standing up to countries that have for too long benefitted by access to the American market without giving reciprocal access to their markets. Countries — in particular, like China — have been informed that the days of disproportionate and imbalanced trade relationships with the United States are coming to an end. The truth of the matter is, the President has taken a strong stand with China and with other trading partners around the world who have, frankly, taken advantage of imbalanced…