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.

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Statement Secretary Ross on Revocation of Hong Kong Special Status

"With the Chinese Communist Party’s imposition of new security measures on Hong Kong, the risk that sensitive U.S. technology will be diverted to the People’s Liberation Army or Ministry of State Security has increased, all while undermining the territory’s autonomy. Those are risks the U.S. refuses to accept and have resulted in the revocation of Hong Kong’s special status.

Commerce Department regulations affording preferential treatment to Hong Kong over China, including the availability of export license exceptions, are suspended. Further actions to eliminate differential treatment…

Memorandum on Protecting the United States Lobster Industry

"By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Policy. On May 22, 2018, the United States Trade Representative (Trade Representative) concluded an investigation under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2411), finding that China had engaged in multiple unreasonable and discriminatory trade practices that had harmed American intellectual property rights, innovation, and technology development. In response to China’s unfair…

Transcript of President Trump’s Interview With The Wall Street Journal

[...] Mr. Trump: I don’t know. We’ll have a lot of jobs before November 3. I mean, all I can say is this: We will have created a lot of jobs prior to November 3. Tremendous number of jobs, a tremendous increase, I expect a tremendous increase in GDP. And we’ll be heading you know, for the top. We’ll be back. And we’ve had a lot of advantages, a lot of experience. We did it once and we’ll do it again. Bottom line is we…

U.S. Trade Representative on 2020 Trade Policy Agenda - Senate Hearing

Ambassador Lighthizer's Testimony Before the House Ways and Means Committee Hearing on Trade Policy

Ambassador Lighthizer's Op-Ed in "Foreign Affairs" - China

"The principles of a worker-focused trade policy should be front and center as the United States confronts two of the most significant trade challenges it will face in the coming years: market-distorting state capitalism in China and a dysfunctional WTO.

No trade policy decision since the end of World War II proved more devastating to working people than the extension of permanent normal trade relations to China in 2000—a legal status entitling it to the lowest possible tariffs. Despite President Bill…

Remarks by President Trump on the Jobs Numbers Report - China

"But we are doing something that — this was an important day because this shows that what we’ve been doing is right. And the reason it’s been and is so good is because the body was strong. Our body was so powerful that we could actually close our country, save millions of lives, stop people very early on, from China, from coming in — because we stopped early, at the end of January, very early, people coming from China, who were infected, coming into our…

Remarks by President Trump Announcing an Executive Order on Preventing Online Censorship - China and India

"Q Are you worried about the situation on the border between India and China?

THE PRESIDENT: Ah, India. He loves India so much. He’s never asked a question other than an India question, and that’s okay. I just got back from India, right?

Q I (inaudible) Indian, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: I just beat COVID.

Q You are very popular in India.

THE PRESIDENT: I got back — I know. And they like me in India. I think they like me in India certainly more than…

Wilbur Ross on Chinese Companies added to Entity List

Ambassador Lighthizer's Remarks on U.S.-China Phase One Agreement

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) today announced additional progress in the implementation of the agriculture-related provisions of the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement (The Agreement), which entered into force on February 14, 2020. Recent actions described below build upon the actions announced by USDA and USTR on February 25, March 10, and March 24. These are difficult times for both our countries. It is important that we each continue to…

Remarks by President Trump on Supporting our Nation’s Farmers, Ranchers, and Food Supply Chain - China

"We eliminated crushing Washington regulations, kept our promise on ethanol, and replaced and negotiated our badly broken trade deals to finally give you a fair and level playing field. When China unfairly targeted our farmers, we provided $28 million [billion] in direct assistance. And it came from China, not from our government. And you know that happened, and they paid for it. We didn’t pay. You know, they have this misconception; they like to say this as much as possible.

China devalued their currency in…