The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States and Thailand after the third meeting of the United States – Thailand Joint Committee on Science and Technology.

Begin Text:

Today, June 22, 2023, the United States and the Kingdom of Thailand convened in Bangkok for the third Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on science and technology to further strengthen the partnership between our scientific communities.

Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Oceans, and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES) Jennifer R. Littlejohn co-chaired the discussion with Associate Professor Pasit Lorterapong, Ph.D, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Thailand Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation (MHESI).  Acting Assistant Secretary Littlejohn applauded the robust 190 years of diplomatic engagement between our two countries and emphasized how science and technology cooperation exemplifies the mutual benefits of U.S.-Thailand collaboration.

JCM topics focused on key science and technology policy and research priorities including energy and climate change mitigation; infectious and non-infectious diseases; biodiversity; agriculture; water; climate change adaptation; STEM education and entrepreneurship; the innovation pipeline; and environmental conservation for the benefit people and economies.

The U.S. delegation comprised leaders and experts from the Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Smithsonian Institution, Center for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and U.S. Department of State.  The participating Thai agencies included the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR), National Innovation Agency (NIA), National Science Museum Thailand (NSM), Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ministry of Public Health, and Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation.

The JCM was convened under the bilateral Agreement Relating to Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand, originally signed in 2013 and extended in 2018.

As Secretary of State Blinken and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don reaffirmed through the 2022 U.S.-Thailand Communique on Strategic Alliance and Partnership, the United States and the Kingdom of Thailand have a steadfast commitment to the principles of mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual interest.  The two countries are forged by shared history and common values, and anchored by a collective commitment to build resilient, inclusive democracies and advance human rights.  The third U.S. – Thailand JCM represents reinvigoration of our in-person bilateral dialogues on science and technology cooperation, as we broaden and strengthen our collaboration.  Continued scientific engagement and people-to-people ties between the United States and Thailand will not only propel both economies forward, but also lead toward a more resilient future for all citizens.

The United States and the Kingdom of Thailand prioritize research and development that benefits our citizens and is rooted in a shared commitment to foundational scientific values and principles, including openness, transparency, honesty, equity, fair competition, objectivity, and democratic values.  Both partners work to create inclusive scientific research communities to consider the importance of preserving principles for scientific cooperation, such as promoting the integrity and security of the international scientific enterprise, and to encourage the participation in cooperative activities of researchers and organizations from all sectors.

This JCM reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to continue close partnership and coordination on science and technology cooperation.

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For further information, please contact the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, OES-PA-DG@state.gov.

MEDIA NOTE
OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON
JULY 10, 2022

The following statement was signed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken of the United States and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai of the Kingdom of Thailand in Bangkok, Thailand on July 10, 2022.

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Recognizing Our History and Building Our Future 

1. As the United States and Thailand celebrate our 190^th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023, we recognize two centuries of special trust and collaboration built through the 1833 Treaty of Amity and Commerce, our treaty alliance established through the 1954 Manila Pact, the 1962 Thanat-Rusk Communiqué, and the 1966 Treaty of Amity and Economic Relations. Forged by shared history and common values, and anchored by our collective commitment to build resilient, inclusive democracies and advance human rights, our two countries reaffirm our commitment to our strategic alliance as sovereign equals, with steadfast commitment to the principles of mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual interest.

2. We are committed to reinforcing and enhancing our strategic alliance and partnership. This encompasses economic revitalization; defense, security, and intelligence cooperation; public health advancement; people-to-people collaboration; and innovative environmental and sustainable solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Our Pledge to Pursue Joint Strategic Goals

3. The long-term goals of the United States and Thailand are to expand and strengthen our strategic partnership to prevent conflict, preserve a peaceful security environment, promote free expression and civil and political rights, and achieve inclusive, sustainable, and balanced economic prosperity. We pursue these goals as equals, for the benefit of the American and Thai people, as well as for the rest of the Indo-Pacific populations and the wider world. We seek to work together to ensure the resilience of critical supply chains, so that both our nations have access to the goods and resources required to preserve our safety, security, and prosperity. We intend to continue to promote international cooperation to combat criminal threats, leveraging our 1986 Treaty on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters and 1983 Treaty relating to Extradition as we strive to make our nations, the region, and the world safer from criminal networks.

4. As we face new challenges, we engage shoulder-to-shoulder a broadening set of cooperation. We seek to strengthen our collaboration to advance global health security, respond to future public health crises, and enhance, regional and global health, including emphasizing transparency and access to information about emerging disease threats. We will be deepening our cooperation on energy, developing the resources of tomorrow as we promote innovation and expand the use and generation of renewable power. We plan to reinvigorate our bilateral dialogues on science, technology, and space while developing new mechanisms to promote innovation and the safe and responsible use of emerging technologies.

High-Level Strategic Dialogue

5. In addition to frequent, high-level engagement, we intend to anchor our consultations and review progress with an annual senior-level United States-Thailand Strategic and Defense Dialogue. Bringing together multiple agencies from across our respective governments, the Strategic and Defense Dialogue will include a broad array of themes, including trade and investment cooperation, defense and security cooperation, democracy and human rights, humanitarian assistance, regional stability, climate action, supply chain resiliency, infrastructure and communication connectivity, and education and cultural exchanges.

Our Shared Commitment to Strategic Cooperation to Advance the Peace, Sustainability, and Prosperity of our Two Countries and the Indo-Pacific Region 

As part of our strategic alliance and partnership, the United States and Thailand seek to promote closer cooperation in the following areas:

6. Adhere to Core Principles: Promoting democratic development in an open and transparent way is essential to implementing our shared vision of an Indo-Pacific that is free, open, inclusive and sustainable. Strong democratic institutions, independent civil society, and free and fair elections are central to this vision, allowing our respective societies to reach their full potential. We intend to strengthen our shared values and ideals, including the rule of law; protecting human rights and human security; adhering to humanitarian principles, including non-refoulement; promoting sustainable development; and upholding resilient democracies. We share common aspirations in promoting open and inclusive societies in all aspects, especially among vulnerable and marginalized groups such as women, children, people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ persons, and various groups of migrants, among others, as well as in combating all forms of human trafficking. This includes cooperation on human capital development to promote inclusive, balanced, and sustainable growth. We also reaffirm our commitment to working together to promote and protect the rights of vulnerable groups in line with our relevant international obligations.

7. Revitalize Our Economies: The United States and Thailand seek to build back from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic via increased commercial and economic cooperation to advance inclusive, sustainable, and balanced growth, including through the concepts outlined in the Bio-Circular-Green Economy Model and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. By strengthening our mutual supply chains, promoting a business-conducive ecosystem, and exploring capacity-building via innovative technology transfer on voluntary and mutually agreed terms, we will increase competitiveness and opportunities for jobs and sustainable growth in both countries. We also seek to advance our cooperation on sustainable and smart agriculture, increasing capacities of farmers, as well as strengthening global food security. We plan to work together to enhance supply chain resilience, particularly for critical goods, and coordinate to avoid disruptions of trade in critically important products. The United States and Thailand also plan to collaborate on digital economy to support digital transformation and promote innovation for economic recovery and advancement, including in developing secure and stable digital infrastructure, enhancing the digital skills of our workforces, and the digitization of our enterprises and start-ups, developing smart cities and policies promoting digital trade. The recognition and protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) and cooperation on IPR enforcement are vital elements for enhanced trade. Beyond our borders, our two nations intend to continue to explore opportunities to promote high-quality, sustainable and resilient transport, energy and digital infrastructure and connectivity in the Mekong sub-region and the broader Indo-Pacific, through mechanisms including joint financing, private sector collaboration, and cooperation with third countries.

8. Address the Threat of Climate Change: Recognizing the global risks posed by climate change, the United States and Thailand are committed to continuing to play leading roles in addressing environmental challenges as we raise our climate ambitions and strive to advance toward net-zero targets. We plan to work together to reduce emissions, enhance climate adaptation and resilience, and climate-related goals. Utilizing climate-friendly policies to drive economic growth and accelerate energy transition, we intend to leverage new technologies that harness clean and renewable energy, including solar power; carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS); climate smart agriculture; e-mobility, including electric vehicle (EV) technology; smart grids; and efficient power storage. We plan to cooperate to make Thailand a center for innovation and climate change leadership in the region. We also plan to work together to promote environmental protection and to strengthen water security and climate resilience across the Mekong River basin. Our two countries seek to collaborate on catalyzing investment in green technology, facilitating private sector partnership and increasing Thailand’s capacity in critical energy supply chains, to support its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as well as its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

9. Advance Our Treaty Alliance: We reaffirm the foundations of the U.S.-Thai treaty alliance and our commitment to address 21st Century security challenges, as enunciated in the 2020 Joint Vision Statement for the U.S.-Thai Defense Alliance. We seek to facilitate a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region through enhanced security and defense cooperation and capabilities, based on mutual respect, shared democratic values, and common interests. We recognize the important role of the United States and Thailand cooperation in promoting regional peace and security. Our sustained security cooperation, including human capital development, education and training, capacity-building, interoperability, and modernization of defense and security institutions serves the interest of each of our countries and the wider region. The United States reaffirms its strong commitment to security cooperation with Thailand and its support for long-term modernization, education and training, maritime security, cyber and space domain initiatives, and humanitarian and disaster relief capabilities.

10. Expand and Reinforce Law Enforcement Cooperation: As part of our strategic alliance, we are committed to expanding our bilateral, sub-regional, and regional cooperation in law enforcement, including strengthening border security; fighting transnational crime, including drug smuggling and wildlife and timber trafficking; and combatting terrorism and money laundering. The United States and Thailand commit to expanding our cooperation against human trafficking and the exploitation of children, by increasing our joint efforts to investigate and prosecute traffickers, including the officials who protect them, as well as to strengthen protections for migrant workers. The two sides commit to making full use of the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Bangkok to forge networks and enhance coordination among law enforcement officials in the region.

11. Deepen Cybersecurity and Technology Collaboration: We plan to expand our existing cooperation on cybersecurity to ensure that our networks are secure, criminals are prosecuted, and Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) is protected. The United States is committed to continuing to support Thailand in developing its National Cyber Incident Response Plan, National Computer Emergency Response Team (National CERT), National Coordination Center, and information-sharing capability with critical infrastructure sectors. We intend to further strengthen our engagement to promote the cooperation of law enforcement and civilian authorities in preventing and prosecuting cybercrimes and plan to work together and with partner countries in the sub-region, region, and beyond to investigate and bring cyber criminals to justice.

12. Promote Regional Cooperation: The United States and Thailand recognize the significance of Southeast Asia to the security architecture and sustainable development of the entire region and beyond. We underscore our unwavering commitment to ensure a peaceful and stable regional environment that will contribute to socio-economic recovery, balanced growth and sustainable development in the sub-region and Southeast Asian region. Together, we intend to strengthen our collaboration to better respond to regional and global challenges. We intend to collaborate to address humanitarian crises confronting the region. We reaffirm our support for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) centrality and the vital role that ASEAN plays in addressing traditional and non-traditional security challenges through ASEAN-led mechanisms, including the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), guided by the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). We also highlight the implementation of the Plan of Action of the Mekong-U.S. Partnership in which the United States and Thailand are members and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) Master Plan of which Thailand is a founding member and the United States is a development partner. We also plan to continue to cooperate in regional economic fora such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), where we seek to leverage our 2022 and 2023 leadership roles to promote free, fair, and open trade and investment while advancing inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

13. Advance Global Health: The United States and Thailand plan to continue our close and long-standing public health cooperation to mitigate emerging health challenges and promote commercial and investment engagement. For over 60 years, we have worked together to address critical issues affecting public health through medical research, vaccine and therapeutic development, and public health cooperation led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Prevention, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand, and other relevant health agencies in both countries. The innovations we have achieved by working together have had global reach, and we plan to continue our cooperation to advance sub-regional and regional health security and improve health outcomes for people around the world. With the continued emergence of new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, we seek to enhance our close collaboration on pandemic preparedness and response to reinforce a resilient global health recovery.

14. Promote People-to-People Ties: Our close and extensive people-to-people exchanges have long provided a strong foundation in our countries’ relations. Through American Spaces in Thailand and Thailand’s outreach across the United States, we plan to work together to help ensure that people in our respective countries understand one another and are positioned to carry our partnership into its third century. We seek to bring together our students, entrepreneurs, professionals, and people from all walks of life to strengthen people-to-people ties through the exchanges and educational and professional development programs, including those in the English language and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), undertaken jointly in the United States and Thailand, as well as promoting the Thai studies programs in the United States. The newly established Thailand-United States Alumni Association will bring together exchange alumni from across Thailand to promote our shared values and goals.

15. Increase Our Diplomatic Capabilities: In recognition of our expanding relationship, the United States and Thailand are committed to further strengthening the alliance and partnership through enhanced coordination and regular exchange of official visits. We intend to renew and enhance our mutual support for our respective diplomatic missions to reflect our expanded relationship.

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Translation: แถลงการณ์ว่าด้วยความเป็นพันธมิตรและหุ้นส่วนทางยุทธศาสตร์ระหว่างไทยและสหรัฐอเมริกา (คำแปลอย่างไม่เป็นทางการ) จากเว็บไซต์กระทรวงการต่างประเทศไทย

SPECIAL BRIEFING
MARCH 30, 2020

MS WALSH:  So our first question will to go Straits Times, Nirmal Ghosh.

QUESTION:  Good morning, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Good morning.

QUESTION:  Can you hear me?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Yes, I can hear you just fine, sir.

QUESTION:  Right.  Nirmal Ghosh, Straits Times.  Thank you very much.  How do you see U.S.-China relations post-pandemic, or at least post-crisis phase in this pandemic?  Better or worse?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Well, just as we went into this moment of crisis, we will continue to find every opportunity to work alongside China.  We have important economic relationships.  We, shortly before this, completed the first part of a trade deal.  The second part of that we hope will follow not too far behind that.  But there are also immense challenges with China, places where the President has identified where reciprocity doesn’t exist.  We’ve seen that in trade.  We’ve seen that with respect to how journalists are treated, freedom of information, how it flows across borders and across the region.

So it will continue to be, just as we identified early on in the administration, a true strategic competitor for the United States.  I don’t expect that that will change, but we have learned some things.  We have learned some things about America’s need to ensure that we have the right resources that we can maintain for moments just like this one as well.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MS WALSH:  Thank you, sir.  Our next question will go to the Bangkok Post, Kornchanok.

QUESTION:  (Inaudible.)  As the spread of COVID is quite high in the U.S., however, what’s your plan to collaborate with Thailand and ASEAN in fighting the virus?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  I appreciate the question.  So we’ve done a lot of that work.  My deputy is on phone calls every week with countries throughout the Indo-Pacific region, not just in Southeast Asia and Asia but throughout South Central Asia as well, Central Asia too.  We’re very concerned about what’s taking place there and the risks of the virus in the Central Asian countries.  We’ve worked closely alongside them as well.

We announced last week a very significant piece of assistance, some $274 million that will go across 64 priority countries.  Much of that will head to the Indo-Pacific region, whether that is to — helping the countries push back technically, to maintain the ability to track the disease, all of the things that we have now all learned collectively about how to push back.  Those resources are going to go from Bangladesh to Burma to Cambodia and India, Kazakhstan, just about every place in the region, where the United States will be there, I am confident, as the largest partner in helping those countries push their way through what will be challenging times that remain in front of them.

So we talk to them every day.  I talked to my Singaporean counterpart across the weekend.  It might have been Friday.  We continue to work alongside them to both learn from the things that Singapore did, did successfully, as well as to make sure that we’re providing the assistance through State Department efforts and efforts all across the United States Government to support these countries in what will be challenging times for many of them who don’t have health care infrastructures that are likely to be able to, without significant support, match the challenge ahead.  We’re prepared to do everything that we can to provide support to those countries.

And then you asked about China, too.  We were the first country or one of the very first countries to offer support and assistance to China as well.  We flew in assistance into Wuhan within days of the outbreak there.  We offered technical, health care, and professional assistance not only to them but through multilateral organizations as well, through the WHO, through all of the good offices of the various multilateral organizations that are working in China and throughout the region as well.

MS WALSH:  Thank you, sir.  Our next question will go to Nike Ching with Voice of America.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Hello.

QUESTION:  Hello.  Good morning, Mr. Secretary.  Thank you very much for the telephonic roundtable.  How much is the U.S. tracking China pushing its narrative in the World Health Organization?

And separately, if I may, a few days ago, President Trump signed into law S. 1678, which is the so-called TAIPEI Act, in which it requires the State Department to take certain steps, including to advocate Taiwan to be granted observer status in appropriate international organizations.

My questions for you, Mr. Secretary:  Do you support Taiwan’s observer status in the World Health Assembly?  How does the State Department prepare to comply with the U.S. law?  Thank you.  Thank you so much.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Thank you, and thank you for both questions.  Let me take the second question first.

So the President signed that law.  He did so quite happily.  He was pleased with the contents of it.  The responsibility now falls to the United States Government to comply with each and every component of that, and that includes working to make sure that in every organization – you identified the WHO in particular – that in every organization that has a – has content that is related to what’s taking place inside of Taiwan that we do our best to assist them in having their appropriate role there.  We’ll do that.  We’ll fully comply with that.  We think it’s important, and we were pleased that that piece of legislation made it out of the Congress and onto the President’s desk at the end of last week.

Your first question was about the disinformation campaigns that are underway across the world in light of the COVID-19.  We have certainly seen them.  We have seen it not only from Iran and Russia but from China and others as well trying to tell a narrative.  And the narratives are different, but each of them has the same component, which is to avoid responsibility and try and place confusion in the world, confusion about where the virus began but also confusion about how countries are responding to it and which countries are actually providing assistance throughout the world.  And we think it’s important that those narratives are corrected.  President Trump has clearly corrected the record with respect to some of this disinformation, and we’re trying to do that as well.  It’s important.

This free information flow is so important.  It’s important even today to make sure that as we think about how to continue to combat this – we’re in the middle of this crisis.  I hear people talk about disinformation and they’re focused solely on what happened at the beginning.  But the need for transparency, the need for clear data sets, the need to make sure that as cases are identified they are accurately reported, and as people are sending goods around the world that the goods are of high quality and they are functional, and that we’re accurately tracking those systems around the world as well, it is absolutely important that we get this good transparency.

It’s why we issued a statement when China made the decision to force Western press out of China.  We thought that was a bad thing not only because we believe deeply here in the United States in freedom of information but because it will reduce the capacity for all of us to understand what’s happening not only in China but these reporters reporting throughout the region to make sure that we understand what’s happening throughout the region.

To have good data sets – we talk about this all the time, whether it’s about testing or confirmed cases or mortality rates or potential therapeutics, all of those things – we have to make sure that the information is passed accurately, timely, and in a way that is easily comprehensible and traceable so that we can validate this information.  This is a global pandemic.  The solution to this will depend on people working together all across the world, and so efforts by governments to create either disinformation or misinformation about what’s really taking place harm the capacity for the world to save lives.

MS WALSH: Thank you, sir.

QUESTION:  Thank you so much.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Thank you.

MS WALSH:  Our next question will go to Martin with Malaysiakini.

QUESTION:  Yes.  Hi, Secretary of State.  (Inaudible.)

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Hello, Martin.

QUESTION:  Hi.  Okay, you mentioned proof – disinformation, particular in Iran, Russia, and China’s disinformation.  Do we have any proof on things like body count?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  I’m sorry, you mean mortality in those three countries?

QUESTION:  Yes.  Have those countries been guilty of that kind of misinformation, and does the U.S. have proof of it?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  I don’t have anything to say about that.  We see the open press reporting with respect to that.  We see what those governments are reporting.  And what we have said consistently is it’s very important when you think about the United States and our ability to track what’s happening here in states and counties.  We report accurately.  We share that information broadly and publicly so every nation in the world can see it.  We do our best to, even in the middle of the crisis, to identify the things we’re doing that are slowing the spread of the disease as well as those things that are keeping people alive.  It’s important that every country share that information.  As the data set grows larger, technicians, medical providers, scientists, health care researchers across the world will come together and provide the solution that will ultimately be the key factor that decides how big a crisis this will ultimately become.

And so whether it’s in Iran or in North Korea or anyplace else in the world, we hope that these countries will choose to be transparent with respect not only to the number of cases and their mortality rate, but the things that they’ve done to try and reduce that so that we can begin to develop effective countermeasures to this crisis on a global basis.

QUESTION:  Okay.  Thank you.

MS WALSH:  Thank you, sir.  Our next question will go to Haye-ah Lee from Yonhap.

QUESTION:  Good morning, Mr. Secretary.  Thanks for doing this.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Hello.  Yes, ma’am.

QUESTION:  North Korea issued a statement a few hours ago that said that on the one hand President Trump sent a letter offering assistance with COVID-19, but on the other hand you made reckless remarks about the G7 having to continue to apply pressure on North Korea over its nuclear program.  It said that your remarks have caused it to drop interest in dialogue with further conviction.  So what is your response?  Do you have any specific plans to provide COVID-19 assistance to North Korea?  And do you think the South Korean Government has responded appropriately to the pandemic?  Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Did you say the South Korean Government, has the South Korean Government responded appropriately?

QUESTION:  The last part was, yes, the South Korean —

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Yeah, yeah, the last part, yeah.  Look, the President’s position on North Korea and mine have been in lockstep since the very first day I became Secretary of State.  We’ve done our level best to engage them since the President – since I made my first visit there as Secretary of State to engage them, to conduct dialogue and negotiations to provide the resolution.  When the two leaders met for the first time in Singapore, they both committed to a series of things.  There were four major commitments made, including the denuclearization of North Korea, a broader future for the North Korean people, all of the things that we all remember so well.  We have been trying very diligently from the American side since that very day to move forward on those negotiations.  We hope that we will get an opportunity to do that.

President Trump has also been clear:  Until we get to that point, until we get to the point where we have made sufficient progress along that way, the sanctions – not American sanctions, but UN Security Council resolutions – will continue to be enforced and in place.  And we hope that we will get this opportunity to sit down with the North Korean leadership again and begin to chart a path forward to a brighter future for the North Korean people.  It’s been President Trump’s position since we began our efforts.

And with respect to South Korea and our efforts with respect to the COVID-19, from early on, when it became apparent that the North Koreans were likely to have a challenge, we have offered assistance.  We’ve done that through the World Food Bank, we’ve done it directly, and we have assisted other countries and made clear that we would do all that we could to make sure that their humanitarian assistance could get into that country as well.

And the answer about how South Koreans have responded to the COVID virus I’ll leave to others, other than to say that they have had a pretty effective effort.  And it appears from all the data that we can see that the South Koreans have managed to come across the peak inside of South Korea, and for that they should be applauded.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MS WALSH:  Thank you, sir.  Our next question will go to ABS-CBN, Christian Esguerra.

QUESTION:  Good morning, Mr. Secretary.  Thank you very much for this opportunity.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Yes, of course.  How are you?

QUESTION:  Okay, I’m good.  My question is:  How important is it for the United States to show its global leadership at this time in helping countries and showing the way on how to deal with the coronavirus?  And how much of this is affected by the way the United States is also struggling to contain the virus back home?  And of course, you mentioned this assistance that will be extended into Pacific region, and would you know what particular details would be extended to the Philippines in terms of assistance?  Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  You bet.  If I may, on your third question, I’ll make sure that Morgan and her team get you the details on how we’re going to assist the Philippines.  I know that we’ve already done a great deal of work there, but as for the exact dollar figure, I don’t have it in front of me.  I’ll make sure that you get it, and I’ll also make sure that we describe to you the nature of what that assistance will look like.

To your first question, the United States has been and will always continue to be the world’s largest humanitarian assistance provider.  I mean, this is something that’s in our tradition.  It’s – you can look at the math.  It is unambiguous.  Whether that is direct bilateral assistance to countries or whether that is our role in the United Nations or the World Health Organization or any of the other multilateral organizations, it is, in fact, the United States that leads the way.  I am very confident that that will also be the truth with respect to COVID-19.

We care about these peoples; we want to support them.  We want to reduce the risk to their people and to their countries.  And then the United States, too, we’ll do what we always do best, is when you – when you think about how we are all collectively going to respond to this, one of the most important things we will do is we will deliver good economic outcomes to economies that have been impacted adversely by this virus.

And if you just go back through history, whether that’s in the 1960s or the Pacific Tigers in the 19 – Asian Tigers in the 1990s, the United States in the Pacific has always brought our best through our private sector, investing for – with foreign direct investment and technology that we have moved into this region that has lifted out – lifted out of poverty tens of millions of people in Asia.

And I am confident in the aftermath of this not only will the United States be there with humanitarian assistance, but it will be American ingenuity, American entrepreneurship, and American private sector that will show up in these countries and assist these people in getting their businesses back online, their employment back up to appropriate levels, and help them get their economies back on track.  We’re committed to that both at the government, and I know the American private sector will step up as well.

MS WALSH:  Thank you, sir.  Our next question will go to Takashi Watanabe from Asashi Shimbun.

QUESTION:  Hello.  Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Thank you.

QUESTION:  Excuse me.  So reportedly, foreign ministers of G7 haven’t been able to issue a joint statement because the U.S. insisted on calling the coronavirus the Wuhan virus, and some countries concerned about that.  Could you explain about that, and what did you discuss at the time?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Yeah, unfortunately that was some pretty bad reporting.  The truth of the matter is we had an enormously successful G7 gathering where there was a collective belief that we had a responsibility as the G7 to respond to this COVID-19 outbreak, that we needed to do so in a way that represented the best of the West in terms of our technology, our resources, our markets, the things that we bring to bear in the world to help deliver solutions that are on a global scale.

We also talked a great deal about the disinformation campaigns, but I think it was the first question or second question I got here this morning.  We talked a great deal about it, that the Europeans made clear they’re experiencing it very much as well.  I had one of the ministers talk to me about the fact that Europeans were being harassed in Africa because of a disinformation campaign where another country had made a claim that this virus was generated, created, from some place in Europe.  So they, too, are keenly aware of the importance of transparency, good information, and timely data sets so that the world understands what has really taken place so that they can build out to make sure (a) that this does not happen again, and (b) we can make quick determinations about how to best get this crisis resolved.

There was complete unanimity on this issue, and these – this story that ran in Der Spiegel, I’m not sure precisely where they got it.  If you go look at the statements that were made in the aftermath by each of the G7 countries, they were unanimous in our efforts to resolve this crisis and build our countries and the world back together.

MS WALSH:  Thank you, sir.  Our next question will go to Cameron Stewart with The Australian.

QUESTION:  Thank you, Mr. Secretary.  I’m asking this question in the context of Australia’s close intelligence relationship with the U.S. as part of the Five Eyes alliance.  Has the Five Eyes arrangement been utilized or in any way useful in helping map, predict, or otherwise respond to the pandemic?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  It’s a great question, and as the former CIA director, I’m not going to answer a single thing about intelligence.  But let me say this:  I know that relationship well.  I know the importance of the Five Eyes relationship.

And I – without sharing any particular data set about what’s been going on, I am very confident that that Five Eyes relationship has been incredibly helpful in helping all of us understand collectively those five countries, and then the nations that we, in turn, will share that information with together has been incredibly helpful in understanding this outbreak, seeing this outbreak in a way that is important and transparent, and then helping each of our Five Eyes partners deliver good outcomes against that.  I watched the Five Eyes mechanism work to powerful effect for my year and a half as CIA director, and I am confident that it did so and is continuing to do so during this challenging time.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MS WALSH:  Thank you, sir.  Our next question will go to Audrey Young with the New Zealand Herald.

QUESTION:  Good morning.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Hello, good morning.

QUESTION:  Hi.  After the COVID crisis is over, whenever that may be, do you think that countries affected by it might be more inwardly focused and perhaps more resistant to an open global trade and international engagement?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  I think everyone – every nation will take a look at what their country did and how they were prepared for it, whether they got it right, whether they had the structure right, whether they had the resources right, whether they had thought about the risk of this type of thing right.  I think each country has an obligation to its citizens to conduct that kind of an evaluation.

But it’s still an enormous world where trade will, I think, prove to be incredibly important.  But I think every nation will have to look at the resources they expended, as President Trump has talked about with trade, and I think many nations will now see that President Trump has this right, that reciprocity in trade, that fairness in trade, that all of the elements that President Trump has identified about the risks of an imbalanced trade situation – I think every country will see that there was some real impact that resulted from those imbalances and will try to get it right.

MS WALSH:  And sir, I know your time is limited, so we’ll do one last question, this one from Mikio Sugeno with Nikkei.

QUESTION:  Good morning, Mr. Secretary.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Good morning.

QUESTION:  Thank you.  I have a question.  President Trump said yesterday that he would see June 1st as a possible timing to reopen domestic economic activity.  And how long – meaning how many weeks or months – will the U.S. have to close the borders, to ban international travel?  For example, is U.S. thinking about reopening in June or later?  And what are conditions which should be fulfilled for the U.S. to decide to reopen?  Thank you.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Thank you.  It’s a great question.  Look, I don’t want to speculate on timing on any of those issues.  The President and the coronavirus task force team are working every day to evaluate all the elements of the American response, and then our role in that is to make sure we’re doing right by the rest of the world as well, making sure we have the – a global understanding of what the response can be and ought to be.

And with respect to the travel restrictions that are put in place, we evaluate those on a recurring basis.  We will consistently look at them and make the right choice; that is, the choice that will protect the American people and the choice that will help the global economy and the American economy get back on its feet as quickly as possible.  As for the timing, it is far too early to be able to speculate about when that might occur.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MS WALSH:  Thank you so much, sir.  We’ve gotten one question from all of our participants, so Secretary Pompeo, I would just turn it back over to you if you have any closing remarks to leave our journalist colleagues with.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Great.  Thank you, all.  No, I don’t have anything other than to say thank you very much for joining me.  I hope you found this as valuable as I did, and I hope you all have a wonderful either day or evening.  Thank you all very much for joining me today.  So long.

REMARKS
MICHAEL R. POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE
SIAM SOCIETY
BANGKOK, THAILAND
AUGUST 2, 2019

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Good morning, everyone.  Peter, thank you for the kind introduction.  I also want to thank the Siam Society and your president for hosting me.  I know too we have many prominent businesspeople here in the room with us today.

I want to recognize Greg Bastion, the president of AmCham Thailand.  He’s a West Point grad, so that’s always good.

I especially want to thank the incoming Thai ambassador to the United States as well for joining us here today.  Thank you for being here, sir.

And there’s no bigger VIP than my wife, Susan, who’s sitting in the front row as well.  (Laughter.)  All right, I hit my mark on that one, it’s all good.  (Laughter.)

This is my first visit to Bangkok as the Secretary of State.  I’ve been here before.  I’ve been in the region many, many times.  It’s special to be here in this place at this time.  The United States has a long, cherished relationship, as the charge said, of 200 years.  And I know we will remain great and good friends for the next two centuries as well.

This place that we’re standing today has a motto.  Siam Society’s motto is, quote, “Knowledge gives rise to friendship.”  In that spirit, I’d like to share with you today my perspective on our economic engagement in the region.  I don’t know that any element of our relationship could be more important.  It is a history that has been forgotten at times, and worse, distorted by those who don’t have our mutual best interests at heart.

It’s a story of partnerships which were once unimaginable, but are now absolutely indispensible to all of us.

It’s the story of a country that really seeks win-win propositions.

It’s a story of American principles and Asian prosperity.

Let me tell you about the Anurak family from right here in Thailand.  Not so long ago, Mr. Anurak was a foreman at a construction company and his wife was a nurse.  A nice middle class life, yes.  But they wanted something more.  They wanted something more for their children, as all families do.  They started a small chicken farm.

In 2006, the American company Cargill, which was invested in Thailand beginning in 1968, discovered them.

They worked with the family to improve productivity, to improve efficiency, to help them with management techniques.

That partnership with America worked out pretty darn well.  Today, that one farm has become five, and they earn an average of $78,000 each and every month.

And when they’re ready to grow further, they know they have a solid partner in that great American business.

This astounding prosperity is a far cry from the devastation and uncertainty that engulfed Asia after World War II, which really wasn’t that long ago.

Back then, the Indo-Pacific was a place of prosperity – wasn’t a place of prosperity, not anything like what we know today.  For many decades, nations here struggled to find their path.

India won its independence from the British Empire, and then Pakistan and Bangladesh went their separate ways.  Singapore and Malaysia parted paths.  Taiwan and Mainland China diverged.  Communist ideology was on the march on the Korean Peninsula, and in Vietnam and in Indonesia as well.

But look how times have changed:

Seoul is home to world-class companies like Samsung and LG.

Singapore serves as the regional headquarters to Facebook, Microsoft, Pfizer, and a lot of lawyers.

Hanoi hums with motorbikes and cars zipping around.

Bangalore provides IT solutions to the entire world.

Taipei’s skyline – its skyline is dominated by Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest buildings.

And even Beijing and Shanghai have become economic engines.

And of course, the right question for the future is to ask:  How did this all happen?

It wasn’t an economic miracle, and in fact, it wasn’t preordained.

This prosperity happened because of two very earthly factors: trade and freedom.

Now, I’m an Army guy, and I don’t like to give the Navy credit for much of anything, but the truth is – the truth is the key shipping lanes of the Indo-Pacific were and are today protected by American sailors.  And where colonial powers once demanded submission, America offered security.

Economically, it’s true.  It’s true that governments created some national championship companies, but that’s only part of the story.  State-led growth only gets you so far.

Because in the end, human flourishing only really blossoms when governments step back.  The Indo-Pacific region only really took off when nations adopted the formula that I talked about at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Amsterdam this past summer.  It’s really very simple: property rights, the rule of law, lower taxes, an overall lighter touch from government regulation.

That’s when the Asian tigers roared and cubs stood on their own.

That was as true in Mainland China as it was in Singapore, as it was in Taiwan, and now here in Thailand.

Homegrown giants like Samsung, Honda, Taiwan Semiconductor, Mahindra & Mahindra, and so many more emerged.

And the United States was there.  It was there with you all the way and it will be, helping you grow and forging ever-closer ties.  We built APEC, we built ASEAN, and the Lower Mekong Initiative, and we did so with you, alongside of you.

Importantly too, we invested in your human capital.  Our educational programs and universities have nurtured thousands of Asian leaders for decades, from local leaders to heads of state.

And some of our most important ambassadors – private businesses – grew alongside you to our mutual benefit.  I told you the story about Cargill.  Look at how Chevron has spurred prosperity here, or Texas Instruments in the Philippines.

Today, more than 4,200 American companies operate within ASEAN, employing, training, investing in millions of people all across the region.  U.S. companies have over a trillion dollars invested in the region.  There is no other country anywhere that even comes close.

They say, at least in America, that money doesn’t grow on trees.  Perhaps it does elsewhere.  But I will tell you this:  Money does take root in this region when governments work hard to set the conditions for it to do so.  And leaders from government and businesses will talk about how to grow prosperity further today in the meetings we’ll have and then at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum this November, held right here in Bangkok.

We should be proud of this.  This is a great story, and it’s one the Thai people have lived firsthand.

The poverty rate here has declined from 67 percent back in 1986 to 7.8 percent in 2017.  That’s remarkable.  Thailand now has the 20th largest economy in the world.  Think about that.

We want to see this kind of growth across all of Southeast Asia, for countries big and small.  And we know – we know because we’ve seen that regional prosperity goes hand-in-hand with innovation, with good governance, and with the rule of law.

And so the Trump administration is invested in the sovereignty, in the resilience, and prosperity of every Southeast Asian nation.  And not only that, not only that, we want to strengthen and expand our relationship here.

And don’t believe anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.  Nearly two years ago, President Trump recommitted the United States to economic ties, and the formula for success has been borne out by history.  It’s the one that I just described.  We know in the end that liberty is the true source of rejuvenation.  We want a free and open Indo-Pacific that’s marked by the core tenants of the rule of law, of openness, of transparency, of good governance, of respect for sovereignty of each and every nation, true partnerships.

It’s why we supported the BUILD Act in our Congress, which has more than doubled America’s development finance capacity to $60 billion.

In the end, we believe in democracy, and we commend the – our Thai friends for returning to the democratic fold.

We also believe in human rights and freedom.  The current unrest in Hong Kong clearly shows that the will and the voice of the governed will always be heard.

And we want free and fair trade, not trade that undermines competition.

We want the trillions of dollars in uninvested private capital all around the world to be put to work in this region.  We’ve seen this.  Private investors have exponentially more money than any one government could ever bestow on any other country to build bridges, or ports, or electricity grids.

Our investments don’t serve a government, and our investments here don’t serve a political party, or frankly, a country’s imperial ambitions.

No, we are building roads to pave our national sovereignty.  We don’t fund bridges to close gaps of loyalty.

Our companies are incentivized to do high-quality work that benefits consumers and citizens.

Ask yourself this, ask yourself:  Who really puts the people’s interests first, a trading power that respects your sovereignty, or one that scoffs at it?

Ask yourself this:  Who really fosters innovation and reform, private sector companies, or state-owned enterprises?

Ask yourself this:  Who really encourages self-sufficiency and not dependence, investors who are working to meet your consumers’ needs, or those who entrap you in debt?

The United States today has the strongest economy in the world, and our consumers are driving demand for your products.  In contrast, China’s economy is entering a new normal – a new normal of ever-slower growth.

China’s problems are homegrown, but President Trump’s confrontation of China’s unfair trade practices has helped shine a light on them.  We’d like our trade matters resolved as quickly as possible.  All we want, all President Trump has ever asked for, is for China to compete on a level playing field with everyone, not just with the United States.  This will benefit not only us, but you, and the global trading system as well.

The time is right to do more together, using the model that has stood the test of time, using the formula that’s made America a force for good in this region – permanently.

One analysis of UN data estimates and predicts that for the first time since the 19th century, Asian economies in 2020 will be larger than the rest of the world combined.  Indeed, the Asian middle class has exploded.  Asia has truly come of age.  Now we must protect those gains.

Let’s keep trade free and fair.

Let’s insist on transparent, high-standard investment that creates local jobs.

Let’s stand up for the sovereign rights of nations and peoples.

As I close today, I’m looking forward to taking questions and talking about issues that are on your mind.  As I close, I can’t help but think of how fitting it is to put forth these ideas right here in Bangkok, Thailand.  Thailand is our oldest treaty partner in Asia.  You’ve proudly maintained your independence.

You’ve held to the path of sovereignty and national autonomy.

And America and Americans have proudly supported your rise for more than two centuries.

In 1835, a man named Dan Beach Bradley first came to the Kingdom of Siam as a missionary physician.

Dr. Bradley brought with him Western medical practices and served the royal court.  He gained the trust and friendship of the future king of Siam, after treating the prince’s serious illness.

He also brought the first Thai script printing press to Siam and founded the first newspaper, The Bangkok Recorder.

But most importantly, he brought knowledge that gave rise to friendship.

Dan’s legacy is bigger than that, because it didn’t stop there.

His daughter Sophia opened a small school in her home to offer equal educational opportunities to girls.  It grew, and to this day the Dara Academy is a well-respected private school right here in Thailand.

The anecdote points to this:  For centuries, America’s legacy has been of our partnership – and not just through our government.

America builds things for mutual good.

And we build them to last.

President Trump and our administration will continue that commitment.

God bless you, and I look forward to taking some questions.

Thank you all for being here with me this morning.  (Applause.)

MS AMIN:  Good morning, Secretary Pompeo.  Welcome back, your third trip to Asia.  That shows some commitment to the region after what’s been said.

You talked about building ties with Southeast Asia, with Asia, deepening ties and deepening trade.  And yet, this morning we woke up to President Trump intending to slap 10 percent tariffs on additional $300 billion worth of Chinese goods.  That doesn’t bode well for the world, not for Asia, not for Southeast Asia.

What happened during those talks?  Which people say something was achieved because there are plans for the talks in September.  How bad were they?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  So there are talks that will begin in Washington in September.  But back to first principles.  For decades, China has taken advantage of trade, taking advantage of trade versus the United States of America, and taking advantage of trade versus countries in Asia and Southeast Asia, and it’s time for that to stop.  And President Trump has said we’re going to fix this, and to fix it requires determination, and that’s, I think, what you saw this morning.  The President is determined to achieve this outcome.

What we’re asking for is really easy.  Indeed, the Chinese had agreed to it at one point, and then walked away from the deal.

MS AMIN:  So what is it?  Is it Huawei at the crux of it?  Can there be a compromise?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  No, no.  It’s not about – this is far bigger than that.  This is about the central premise of how trade will be conducted around the world.  Is it okay for a nation that was once developing to continue to take the advantages when they’re no longer in that status?  Is it okay for a nation to put on enormous tariffs when the other counter-party to the trading arrangement won’t do that?  Is it acceptable to put tariffs and barriers on American companies investing in China when the United States is wide open to those investments?

All we have asked for – it’s really simple.  It’s what you – it’s the golden rule.  It’s what you teach your kids, right?  Do unto others.  We want fairness, evenness, reciprocity.  These are core concepts.  They’re what I spoke about.  And when that happens, Asia will thrive, Southeast Asia will thrive, the United States global trading system will thrive.  But it cannot be the case that a nation uses protectionism to protect its own goods and uses predatory tactics to deny others’ economies the chances to grow.

MS AMIN:  At what cost?  We’re seeing PMIs around the world already easing.  We’re seeing countries around the world – well, revising downwards growth projection.  I mean yes, the U.S. is in a good position leading global growth, but with Trump, President Trump is saying that he will tax the hell out of China.  There are negative implications.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  There have been negative implications of decades of bad behavior on the part of China.

MS AMIN:  When you take a look at how the U.S. —

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Negative implications for every business in this room, and we’ll fix it.

MS AMIN:  There’s greater scrutiny right now on Chinese companies, especially through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., of which you play a huge role.  When you take a look at the Bloomberg data, it suggests that there are about 173 Chinese companies worth about $750 billion actively listed in the U.S., 750 – just Chinese companies in the U.S.  Could you be sending a negative message to these companies who are interested in putting money in your country?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  No.  We welcome capital that comes to America every day, all day.  What we want to make sure is the basis on which that capital flows into the United States.  We want to make sure that American capital that wants to come to this region, to China, can do so on a fair and even basis, and we want to make sure that capital doesn’t pose a national security threat to the United States of America.  Those are – that’s a low bar.  Those are simple standards.  They’re what every nation must do to protect its own sovereignty.

And so no, the message we’re sending them is, “Come.  Come to America.  Participate.  Do so with the rule of law.  Do so through transparency.  Don’t subsidize those countries.  Don’t create champions through – with political objectives.  Make them economic objectives.  And when you do, many Chinese companies will come to America, compete, and be very, very successful.  And we welcome that.

MS AMIN:  Some (inaudible), however, say that the crux of this U.S.-China trade tensions is actually a fundamental misunderstanding of how the U.S. views China, that China today is different from the China of 20 years ago, and that China today needs time to reform and reform in its own time.  Is there a misconception in those views?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Well, I’m not sure how to respond to – the other night – I had a chance to be with Dr. Kissinger the other day.  He came to the State Department to celebrate our 230th anniversary, and we were talking about this very issue, this idea that China would, if their economy opened up, that they would begin to compete in a fair, transparent way.  Well, that hasn’t happened, and so that’s what we’re driving for.  It’s really elemental.

MS AMIN:  In your conversations, if there is one thing China needs to do right now to avert further tariffs, what would that be?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Yeah —

MS AMIN:  If just one first step that needs to be taken.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Look, I’m not directly involved in the trade negotiations, but there was an agreement on the table that would have put us in a really, really good place.  So as a starting point, they could come back to at least where they were that day.

MS AMIN:  You touched on Hong Kong earlier, and you talked about how the government needs to listen.  There are murmurings out there suggesting that perhaps there is a congregation of troops just on the border waiting to make its way if things turn for the worse.  Can you envision that happening?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  So I think President Trump has been pretty clear.  We’ve asked China simply to do the right thing.  America has a long tradition of making sure that every citizen has the right to express their conscience, their views.   We hope that’s the case all around the world, and that is true in China as well.

And so I hope that the way things proceed in Hong Kong will proceed in a way that is not violent.  That’s not constructive for any of the parties in the region.  And we hope that everywhere citizens want to voice their views – whether those are in support of a particular government or in opposition to a particular government – they’ll be permitted to do so.

MS AMIN:  But President Trump also made it clear that it is a Chinese issue, it’s a Hong Kong issue.  Should the PLA make its way across the border into Hong Kong, into the streets of Hong Kong, would the U.S. exercise any military presence?  Would it exercise its own judgment to make its way and defend Hong Kong?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  One thing this administration has been really good about is not tipping our hand to what we will or won’t do, and I’m going to do that here this morning.

MS AMIN:  (Laughter.)  Okay, I’ll take that.  (Laughter.)

Now, let’s touch on North Korea.  It does seem like President Trump has given a lot of face and a lot of face time to North Korea.  There have been two summits.  He’s made his way to North Korea.  The first U.S. – sitting U.S. president to do that.  He’s also made suggestions about inviting Kim to D.C.  That seems like a lot to give for very little in return, because we’re back to square one with North Korea greeting your presence in Asia with a series of missile launches.  Your take on that?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Yeah, I think you fundamentally mischaracterized.  Having a meeting with Chairman Kim didn’t give him a darn thing.  It was an attempt that is ongoing to engage with them diplomatically to achieve an outcome that for decades has not been achieved.  Many paths have been tried, but they’ve all been unsuccessful.  And so I was the first – when I was the director of Central Intelligence, the first one to travel to meet with Chairman Kim to begin this opportunity.  We’re still engaged in it.  We hope that they will put their working group back together and meet with us before too long.

But remember, the UN Security Council still has the most stringent sanctions ever imposed on North Korea fully in place, and we are working with countries all across the world, many in this region are doing great work to enforce those, in an effort to make sure that we have the capacity to ultimately deliver what Chairman Kim committed to back in June in Singapore, June a year ago back in Singapore, which is to fully denuclearize his country in exchange for – President Trump describes – a brighter future for the North Korean people.

MS AMIN:  Those launches are against UN resolutions.  I mean, how patient can the U.S. be?  At what stage will you decide to tighten those sanctions and do something about it and send a message to North Korea that it is not acceptable?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  So you should never doubt what we may be communicating to the North Koreans.  There are conversations going on, goodness, even as we speak.  But the diplomatic path is often fraught with bumps, tos and fros, forward and backward.  We are still fully committed to achieving the outcome that we have laid out – the fully verified denuclearization of North Korea – and to do so through the use of diplomacy.

MS AMIN:  How confident are you you will get there?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  We keep working at it.

MS AMIN:  (Laughter.)  Is there a timeframe you’re looking at?  I mean, conversations can’t go on forever.  At what stage will you take action, a tougher stance on North Korea?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  I think we’ve taken the toughest stance in all of recorded history.

MS AMIN:  Have you been —

SECRETARY POMPEO:  So when you say a tougher stance, if you go look at the list of Security Council resolutions and you look not only at the resolutions themselves but the world’s effectiveness at enforcing them, I think it’s difficult to imagine that there would be a set of tougher sanctions put in place.

So to give the moment so that we can have this opportunity.  It’s the right thing for the world.  To continue this diplomatic effort is the right approach.  It’s the right approach today, and President Trump and I and our national security team will continue to evaluate that alongside of all of our partners in Japan and South Korea, the Chinese, the Russians.  All of those who have a vested interest in seeing North Korea denuclearized will continue to work on this problem set.

MS AMIN:  Are we looking at a third summit anytime soon?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Stay tuned.

MS AMIN:  (Laughter.)  Have you been disappointed that your North Korean counterpart didn’t make it here, missing out on the chance to negotiate?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  I always look forward to a chance to talk with him.  I wish they’d have come here.  I think it would have given us an opportunity to have another set of conversations, and I hope it won’t be too long before I have a chance to do that.

MS AMIN:  But how do you expect to, I guess, get negotiations going when your own counterpart isn’t willing to make himself available to talk?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Lots of conversations taking place.

MS AMIN:  How concerned are you about how Kim Jong-un is carrying out his, I guess, missile program?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Yeah, so we’re always – we’re always concerned, right?  President Trump has made nuclear nonproliferation a centerpiece of the work that we do, whether that’s the work that we’re doing with Iran, the work that we’re doing in North Korea.  President Trump understands – we’re working to engage in a strategic security dialogue with the Russians.

All have a central theme, which is this risk from nuclear weapons and their proliferation is real and serious.  And so yes, I want very much these discussions to proceed with the North Koreans. We want to really get past the discussions and get to execution on the ground.  That’s our charge.  That’s the mission the President has laid out for me, and we’re working diligently to get there just as quickly as we can.

MS AMIN:  What role do you think China can play in this?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  A big role.  And they have.  I actually applaud the enforcement efforts that the Chinese have undertaken under the UN Security Council resolution.  They have truly been a bulwark.  They have been helpful.  I met with my counterpart foreign minister yesterday.  We talked about this again.  They reiterated their goal for there to be a diplomatic resolution to this as well and their continued commitment to enforce the UN Security Council resolutions.

MS AMIN:  Secretary Pompeo, I was told to wrap up, but just one final question.  Since you touched on Iran, I mean, the U.S. has been trying to put a lid on Iranian oil exports, yet there are concerns out there that perhaps your Asian allies are still importing Iranian oil.  What are your thoughts on that, and are you intending to take any action?

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Simple math.  Before the sanctions regime was put in place, there were 2.7-ish million barrels of oil a day being shipped by Iran to all around the world.  The number for June and July, each of those two months, was less than a half a million barrels, could have been closer to zero than to half a million.  The sanctions have been very effective, and we will enforce them everywhere.  We’ll enforce them against any company, any country, that continues to violate those sanctions.  We’ve already imposed sanctions on one company inside of China.  We will continue to do that.  It is absolutely imperative that we deny the ayatollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran from having the wealth and resources to build a nuclear program that could threaten anyone in the world.

MS AMIN:  On that note, Secretary Pompeo, thank you so much for your time today.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Thank you very much.

MS AMIN:  Thank you for your insights.

SECRETARY POMPEO:  Thank you.

MS AMIN:  And ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us.  (Applause.)

 

Office of the Press Secretary
February 27, 2019

Remarks by President Trump
and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission
of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
in a 1:1 Conversation

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Hanoi, Vietnam
6:33 P.M. ICT

CHAIRMAN KIM: (As interpreted.) So it’s exactly 261 days since we met last time in Singapore, in June, last year.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yes.

CHAIRMAN KIM: (As interpreted.) And I truly believe that this successful and great meeting that we are having today is thanks to the courageous decision — political decision that your team, Mr. President, reached.

So, during that 261 days since we last met, there have been some misunderstandings. There have been all these eyes from the world who are misunderstanding the situation. But — and there was some hostility that still remains from the very, very past period that — from the outside.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Right.

CHAIRMAN KIM: (As interpreted.) But, however, we have been able to overcome all the obstacles, and here we are today after 261 days, in Hanoi.

I actually believe that those 261 days were the days which were — and during which a lot of painstaking efforts were necessary and also a lot of patience were needed.

But here we are today, sitting next to each other, and that gives us a hope that we will be successful with time. And I will really try to make that happen.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you very much. That’s really nice.

Well, I want to just say it’s an honor to be with Chairman Kim. It’s an honor to be together in, really, a country, Vietnam, where they’ve really rolled out the red carpet and they’ve — they’re very honored to have us. And it’s great to be with you.

We had a very successful first summit. I felt it was very successful, and some people would like to see it go quicker. I’m satisfied; you’re satisfied. We want to be happy with what we’re doing. But I thought the first summit was a great success. And I think this one, hopefully, will be equal or greater than the first. And we made a lot progress, and I think the biggest progress was our relationship is really a good one.

And as I’ve said many times — and I say it to the press, I say it to anybody that wants to listen: I think that your country has tremendous economic potential. Unbelievable. Unlimited. And I think that you will have a tremendous future with your country — a great leader. And I look forward to watching it happen and helping it to happen. And we will help it to happen.

Thank you all very much. We appreciate it. And we’re going to go have dinner, and then we have some big meetings scheduled for tomorrow. And we’ll see you, I guess, at a news conference at some point during the day. Thank you very much.

Q:   Mr. President, do you have any reaction to Michael Cohen and his testimony?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: (Shakes head.)

END
6:37 P.M. ICT

Joint Statement of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and
Chairman Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
at the Singapore Summit

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a first, historic summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth, and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to the establishment of new U.S.–DPRK relations and the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.  President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Convinced that the establishment of new U.S.–DPRK relations will contribute to the peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula and of the world, and recognizing that mutual confidence building can promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following:

1. The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new U.S.–DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity.
2. The United States and the DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
3. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
4. The United States and the DPRK commit to recovering POW/MIA remains, including the immediate repatriation of those already identified.

Having acknowledged that the U.S.–DPRK summit—the first in history—was an epochal event of great significance in overcoming decades of tensions and hostilities between the two countries and for the opening up of a new future, President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un commit to implement the stipulations in this joint statement fully and expeditiously.  The United States and the DPRK commit to hold follow-on negotiations, led by the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and a relevant high-level DPRK official, at the earliest possible date, to implement the outcomes of the U.S.–DPRK summit.

President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America and Chairman Kim Jong Un of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have committed to cooperate for the development of new U.S.–DPRK relations and for the promotion of peace, prosperity, and security of the Korean Peninsula and of the world.

DONALD J. TRUMP
President of the United States of America

KIM JONG UN
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

June 12, 2018
Sentosa Island
Singapore

As was announced on September 29, 2017, President Donald J. Trump will travel to Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Hawaii, from November 3-14, 2017. The President’s travel will underscore his commitment to long standing United States alliances and partnerships, and reaffirm United States leadership in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Japan

 

More videos from #POTUSinAsia Japan:

President Trump Participates in a Joint Press Conference with Prime Minister Abe
President Trump and the First Lady Attend a State Banquet
President Trump Participates in a Joint Press Conference with Prime Minister Abe
President Trump Delivers Remarks to US and Japanese Business Leaders
President Trump and the First Lady Participate in a Yokota Air Base Troop Event

South Korea

More videos from #POTUSinAsia South Korea:

President Trump Receives an Operational Briefing
President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with President Moon Jae-In
President Trump Participates in a Joint Press Conference with President Moon
President Trump Participates in an Expanded Bilateral Meeting with President Moon
President Trump and the First Lady Attend a State Dinner 
President Trump Delivers a Speech to the National Assembly

China

 

More videos from #POTUSinAsia China:

President Trump Delivers a Joint Press Statement with President Xi Jinping
President Trump Participates in an Expanded Bilateral Meeting with President Xi Jinping
President Trump Participates in a Business Event with President Xi
President Trump Meets with Premier Li Keqiang of the People’s Republic of China
President Trump and the First Lady Attend a State Dinner

Vietnam

President Trump Participates in a Veterans Meet and Greet
President Trump Attends a State Banquet
President Trump Participates in a Joint Press Conference with President Quang of Vietnam
President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with President Tran Dai Quang of Vietnam
President Trump Participates in an Expanded Bilateral Meeting
President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc of Vietnam

APEC

President Trump Delivers Remarks to the APEC CEO Summit