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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President Trump's Remarks at September 16, 2020 Press Briefing - China
"Q Thank you, Mr. President. Are you prepared to sign off on the Oracle and TikTok deal, even though the Treasury isn’t getting paid? And also, does the deal meet your requirements in terms of national security concerns?
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, they’re giving me studies on the deal. It has to be 100 percent as far as national security is concerned. And, no, I’m not prepared to sign off on anything. I have to see the deal.
We need security, especially after what we’ve seen…
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Secretary Pompeo's Remarks at the Atlantic Council's "Atlantic Council Front Page" Event - China
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Secretary Pompeo With Lea Salame of France Inter - China
"QUESTION: You started a tough policy – you started a tough policy on China. You banned imports of cotton from Xinjiang where Uyghur people are put in camps. Could you take further steps? And are you expecting similar moves from Europeans?
SECRETARY POMPEO: We hope every nation in the world will come to recognize what is the – perhaps the greatest stain on human rights of this century, what’s taking place in Western China. And so the United States has always stood for human rights.
…
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Ambassador Lighthizer's Remarks on WTO Panel Ruling Concerning US Actions Against China
"Washington, DC – U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer today criticized a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel report that stated that actions taken by the U.S. to combat China’s widespread and damaging theft of American technology and intellectual property were inconsistent with WTO rules.
“This panel report confirms what the Trump Administration has been saying for four years: The WTO is completely inadequate to stop China’s harmful technology practices,” said Ambassador Lighthizer. “Although the panel did not dispute the extensive evidence submitted by the…
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The United States Sanctions Chinese State-Owned Entity for its Role in Corruption in Cambodia
"China is the world’s largest emitter of environmental pollution including of greenhouse gases and the exploitation of natural resources around the globe. Today, the United States again took action by imposing sanctions on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-owned Union Development Group, Ltd. (UDG) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, which builds upon and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, for its role in corrupt activities in Cambodia.
Today’s action demonstrates how the Chinese Communist Party coopts companies to expand its influence, including…
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President Trump's Remarks on China During September 15, 2020 ABC Town Hall
"STEPHANOPOULOS: I wanted to ask you about…
TRUMP: …China was heavily infected. And nobody, by the way, I read where other people said do it. No people that I saw said do it. And I know they said security advisors and others. I put a ban on when it wasn’t at all popular.
Joe Biden said I was xenophobic because I put the ban on, and I thought that was a very unfair -- and by the way he’s totally taken that back. But I’m…
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Papua New Guinea Independence Day
"On behalf of the United States Government and the American people, I extend congratulations to the people of Papua New Guinea as you raise your flag at Independence Hill on the 45th anniversary of your independence.
This is a day to celebrate your rich history, and I am proud to greet you on this important occasion in recognition of our close partnership, mutual respect, and common values. Even as both our nations confront COVID-19 in this region and worldwide, I look forward to deepening our…
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CBP’s Continued Enforcement Actions To Combat Forced Labor in China
"The Trump Administration has led the world in calling attention to the Chinese Communist Party’s egregious human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and we’ve taken action to back up our rhetoric. Today, we continue this record as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued five new Withhold Release Orders (WRO) for certain goods produced in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
WROs prevent goods from being imported into the United States when made with forced labor. Upon issuing these WROs, CBP will detain shipments of…
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The Mekong-U.S. Partnership: The Mekong Region Deserves Good Partners
"The launch of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership reflects the importance of the Mekong region to the United States. Our relationship with Mekong partner countries is an integral part of our Indo-Pacific vision and our strategic partnership with ASEAN. With more than $150 million in initial investments in regional programs, we will build on the good work of the Lower Mekong Initiative and the $3.5 billion in regional U.S. assistance during the last eleven years.
The Mekong-U.S. Partnership is committed to the autonomy, economic independence, good governance…
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The United States Expresses Concern Over Hong Kong Democracy Activists Held in Guangdong Province
"The United States is deeply concerned that twelve Hong Kong democracy activists, arrested two weeks ago off the coast of Hong Kong by Guangdong Maritime Police, have been denied access to lawyers of their choice. Local authorities have yet to provide information regarding their welfare, or the charges against them. We question Chief Executive Lam’s stated commitment to protecting the rights of Hong Kong residents, and call on authorities to ensure due process."
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The Enduring U.S. Commitment to ASEAN
"America has long been a friend to ASEAN countries. At the ASEAN-U.S. Foreign Ministers’ meeting recently, I reaffirmed U.S. support for ASEAN’s role at the heart of the Indo-Pacific.
The ASEAN Outlook for the Indo-Pacific and the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy share a respect for sovereignty, the rule of law, transparency, openness, and inclusivity. These shared principles form the core of our work with ASEAN and are the basis for this week’s launch of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership. We reiterate U.S. support for ASEAN as it speaks…
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Secretary Pompeo With Shannon Bream of Fox News @ Night - North Korea
"QUESTION: Okay, Bob Woodward has a new book coming out. He has hours of tapes —
SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, so I heard.
QUESTION: — of conversations with the President. There are allegations that are not directly attributed to what the President said in their taped conversations. There are other things. But in particular, in talking about North Korea and Kim Jong-un, it says, “Trump remarked that he was awestruck” meeting Kim for the first time in 2018 in Singapore, thinking to himself, “holy [blank]” and…
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Remarks by Secretary Ross at the Department of Commerce's Investment Advisory Council [IAC] - China
"China in particular has become a bully in its neighborhood. It is destroying the freedoms of millions of people living in Hong Kong; engages in large-scale ethnic cleansing; is arresting journalists; spies on its students overseas; and continues to scrub the Internet, and not allow our best technology companies to operate there. It is attempting to steal our most import vaccine research.
And, worst of all, China concealed the true nature of a deadly novel virus, allowing tens of thousands of people to fly out…
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Secretary Pompeo’s Participation in 2020 ASEAN-United States Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo joined the annual ASEAN-United States Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with his counterparts from the 10 ASEAN member states via videoconference on September 9.
Secretary Pompeo and his ASEAN counterparts highlighted the breadth and depth of U.S. engagement and commitment to the ASEAN region. They discussed ASEAN and U.S. cooperation on regional political, security, economic, and cultural issues. The Secretary reiterated U.S. support for the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific and its role in guiding U.S. engagement with ASEAN. He further…
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Secretary Pompeo’s Participation in the 10th East Asia Summit Virtual Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo joined counterparts from 17 countries for the 10th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting this morning. Secretary Pompeo highlighted U.S. support for principles of openness, inclusiveness, transparency, and respect for international law. These principles are shared across our Indo-Pacific vision, ASEAN’s Outlook on the Indo Pacific, and the visions of many other EAS member states.
The Secretary praised ASEAN unity and transparency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and outlined U.S. efforts to leverage all available resources to develop…
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Secretary Pompeo With Ben Shapiro of The Ben Shapiro Show - China
"QUESTION: I’m speaking with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. So I know we’re kind of jumping around the globe here. What is the administration’s view on China policy these days? Obviously, the United States has taken a very negative view of how China has been expanding its authority. We’re seeing U.S. companies continue to stick with the Chinese Government. Are there going to be restrictions on what U.S. companies can do in China coming sometime in the near future given the fact that you can…
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Secretary Pompeo's Criticism of China's Media and Propaganda
"Today, the Chinese Communist Party’s main propaganda newspaper, the People’s Daily, refused to run an Op-ed written by our Ambassador in Beijing, Terry Branstad, citing a litany of grievances. Ironically, the Op-ed called for more positive relations between our two countries and asked to “build relationships through unrestricted engagement and uncensored discussion.” The People’s Daily’s response once again exposes the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of free speech and serious intellectual debate – as well as Beijing’s hypocrisy when it complains about lack of fair and…
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Remarks by President Trump in September 7, 2020 Press Conference - China
"Biden wants to surrender our country to the virus, he wants to surrender our families to the violent left-wing mob, and he wants to surrender our jobs to China — our jobs and our economic wellbeing. I’ve taken in billions and billions of dollars from China. No other President has done what I’ve done. I’ve given much of it to the farmers. I’ve given it to farmers and manufacturers, but I’ve given most of it to the U.S. Treasury. Nobody has done that. We haven’t…
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Remarks by President Trump in Press Briefing - India
"Q During the conventions, Kimberly and Don Jr. had the outreach — the Indian American community — with a video called “Four More Years” for you, which has gone viral among the Indian Americans in the battleground states.
So my question is: Would Kimberly, Don Jr., and Ivanka Trump, who are very popular among Indian Americans — would be campaigning on your behalf around the Indian Americans with your views on the India and U.S. relationship?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I — I didn’t understand everything…
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Secretary Pompeo With Hugh Hewitt of The Hugh Hewitt Show - China
"QUESTION: Now, Mr. Secretary, the last time I saw you was at the Nixon Library talking about China, and it was a historic speech, but – and with – it had fallen about 10 days, the China-Iran deal, and we didn’t talk about that because we didn’t quite yet know it. I’d like to ask you: How ominous is that partnership? And contrast it with the United Aram Emirates-Israeli deal that was put together by you and the President and the entire team, Jared, et…
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Secretary Pompeo With Steve Doocy, Jedediah Bila, and Pete Hegseth of Fox & Friends - China
"QUESTION: Secretary, another topic we’re looking at this morning is China. The President, as we know, is on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, and while there he talked about China as it relates to COVID-19 and also talked about what a Biden administration would mean with respect to our relationship with China. Let’s take a listen to what he said, and then we’ll get your reaction:
PRESIDENT TRUMP: “Never has anybody ripped off our nation like China. We never took in 10 cents from China…
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Advancing Reciprocity in U.S.- China Diplomatic Relations
"For years, the PRC has imposed significant barriers on American diplomats working in the PRC that are far beyond diplomatic norms. PRC authorities implement a system of opaque approval processes designed to prevent American diplomats from conducting regular business and connecting with the Chinese people. U.S. diplomats’ attempts to host cultural events, secure official meetings, and visit university campuses are regularly obstructed.
In the United States, by contrast, PRC diplomats have enjoyed open access to American society, while ignoring sustained U.S. entreaties to improve the…