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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Solomon Islands’ National Day
"On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, best wishes as you celebrate your National Day on July 7.
The United States and Solomon Islands enjoy a fruitful partnership across many areas. We look forward to expanding our engagement in the year ahead with your new Administration. Through the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Threshold Program, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation on fisheries, our relationship is strong. We welcome your commitment to advancing our shared vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific region with other…
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Remarks by President Trump at Signing of H.R. 3401 - China
"Q Any reaction to the protests in Hong Kong today?
THE PRESIDENT: In Hong Kong? I just hope it gets solved. I was with President Xi of China. We had a great talk, a great discussion. We’re talking about doing something. And we’ve talked about it briefly, but that’s very sad. I’ve rarely seen a protest like that. It’s very sad to see. [...]
Q Mr. President, when will the round of trade talks with China begin, after your agreement over the weekend?
THE PRESIDENT: It’s…
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Remarks by President Trump to Korean Business Leaders
"PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you. (Applause.) Wow, thank you very much. Please. Thank you very much. That’s so nice. That means you like us. And we like you. And it has been a great period of time for our two countries.
I want to thank you, Ambassador Harris. We put you here recently because we thought it might be a spot where we need somebody with great talent, and you’ve displayed that in our military for many years. We really appreciate it very much. Thank you…
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Remarks by President Trump and President Moon of the Republic of Korea Before Restricted Bilateral Meeting
"[PRESIDENT TRUMP:] I just had a meeting with the business leaders of South Korea. And these are not only business leaders here, they’re business leaders throughout the world. They are among the greatest businesspeople anywhere in the world. We went through a lot — Lotte, Samsung — so many that are so — Hyundai — so many that are so respected.
And we talked and we had a fairly short meeting, unfortunately. I wish it could have been longer. But these are very, very highly…
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Remarks by President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1:1 Meeting
"PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well, I want to thank you, Chairman. You hear the power of that voice. Nobody has heard that voice before. He doesn’t do news conferences, in case you haven’t heard. And this was a special moment. This is, I think, really — as President Moon said, this is a historic moment, the fact that we’re meeting.
And I want to thank Chairman Kim for something else. When I put out the social media notification, if he didn’t show up, the press was going…
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Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo Remarks to Press - North Korea
"SECRETARY POMPEO: Go ahead. You all saw it. I don’t need to tell you about the story, but what do you all want to talk about?
QUESTION: Well, when talks resume, where do you – what’s the next step? Where do you start? Would you start where you left off or —
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, so I think so. And so I think one of the things that hadn’t been written about is even in Hanoi we’d made progress, all right? And so we think…
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Remarks by President Trump, Chairman Kim Jong Un, and President Moon in Greeting at the Korean Demilitarized Zone
"PRESIDENT TRUMP: I just want to say that this is my honor. I didn’t really expect it. We were in Japan for the G20. We came over and I said, “Hey, I’m over here. I want to call up Chairman Kim.” And we got to meet. And stepping across that line was a great honor. A lot of progress has been made. A lot of friendships have been made. And this has been in particular a great friendship. So I just want to thank you…