WEBVTT 00:04.505 --> 00:07.146 - Hello, and welcome to the Washington Foreign Press Center. 00:07.146 --> 00:10.966 Today we have Acting Assistant Secretary, Susan Thornton 00:10.966 --> 00:14.160 from our East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau 00:14.160 --> 00:18.327 to discuss the upcoming trip of Secretary Tillerson to Asia. 00:19.151 --> 00:23.318 Without further ado, here's the Acting Assistant Secretary. 00:25.694 --> 00:28.027 - Thanks again, Andy. - Sure. 00:29.649 --> 00:31.735 - So good afternoon, everyone. 00:31.735 --> 00:33.971 - [Reporters] Good afternoon. 00:33.971 --> 00:35.378 - It's a packed house. 00:35.378 --> 00:37.396 Well, of course, as Andy mentioned, 00:37.396 --> 00:40.876 you know that Secretary Tillerson is about to take off 00:40.876 --> 00:45.043 actually tomorrow for a trip out to Northeast Asia, 00:45.044 --> 00:46.961 his first trip to Asia. 00:47.228 --> 00:51.395 And we're gonna be visiting Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing. 00:51.750 --> 00:55.167 Tokyo on March 15th, Seoul on March 17th, 00:55.671 --> 00:58.631 and then we travel to Beijing on March 18th. 00:58.631 --> 01:02.798 So the idea is that this trip will allow Secretary Tillerson 01:02.803 --> 01:06.970 to engage allies and partners on not only a range of 01:07.541 --> 01:11.708 bilateral issues, but also importantly to discuss and 01:11.983 --> 01:15.752 coordinate strategy to address the advancing nuclear missile 01:15.752 --> 01:17.752 threat from North Korea. 01:18.898 --> 01:21.800 The United States is committed to holding North Korea 01:21.800 --> 01:25.883 accountable for its flagrant and repeated disregard 01:25.883 --> 01:29.452 of U.N. Security Council resolutions, which expressly 01:29.452 --> 01:33.619 prohibit its ballistic missile and nuclear programs. 01:34.721 --> 01:37.591 We will defend our friends and allies, of course, 01:37.591 --> 01:41.181 the Republic of Korea and Japan, and seek to work 01:41.181 --> 01:44.833 collaboratively to the maximum extent possible with 01:44.833 --> 01:48.500 important partners like China on this issue. 01:48.991 --> 01:52.031 In Tokyo Secretary Tillerson is planning to meet with 01:52.031 --> 01:55.164 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and also of course, 01:55.164 --> 01:57.664 with Foreign Minister Kishida. 01:57.719 --> 02:00.753 This trip builds on Prime Minister Abe's summit meeting 02:00.753 --> 02:04.514 with President Trump in Washington and in Florida 02:04.514 --> 02:08.160 earlier last month, February 10th through 12th. 02:08.160 --> 02:11.109 And Secretary Tillerson, of course, has also connected 02:11.109 --> 02:14.760 frequently with Foreign Minister Kishida, including by phone 02:14.760 --> 02:17.792 on February 7th, and in a meeting the two held here 02:17.792 --> 02:19.209 on February 10th. 02:20.594 --> 02:24.761 In Korea, as President Trump has stated, strong U.S.-Japan 02:26.744 --> 02:29.953 bilateral relations serve as the cornerstone of peace 02:29.953 --> 02:33.128 and security in the Asia-Pacific region. 02:33.128 --> 02:36.420 In Tokyo the Secretary will also discuss our shared regional 02:36.420 --> 02:40.105 and global objectives, including strengthening security 02:40.105 --> 02:43.041 cooperation within the U.S.-Japan alliance, 02:43.041 --> 02:45.717 working together to enhance a rules-based system 02:45.717 --> 02:49.884 in the maritime domain, and particularly exploring efforts 02:50.296 --> 02:54.296 to deepen U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral cooperation. 02:54.848 --> 02:58.569 In Seoul the Secretary will meet with Acting President 02:58.569 --> 03:01.819 Hwang Kyo-ahn and Foreign Minister Yun. 03:02.367 --> 03:04.441 This will be the Secretary's first meeting with 03:04.441 --> 03:06.358 Acting President Hwang. 03:06.869 --> 03:09.695 His last bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Yun 03:09.695 --> 03:12.919 was in Bonn, Germany, where he also participated in a 03:12.919 --> 03:16.185 trilateral meeting with the Foreign Ministers of both Japan 03:16.185 --> 03:17.518 and South Korea. 03:19.129 --> 03:21.995 While in Seoul the Secretary will convey the U.S. continued 03:21.995 --> 03:26.162 support for of course the strong U.S.-ROK alliance. 03:26.586 --> 03:29.666 And he will then travel to Beijing on March 18th, 03:29.666 --> 03:33.091 where he'll meet with State Counselor Yang Jiechi 03:33.091 --> 03:35.085 and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, 03:35.085 --> 03:39.252 as well as with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang. 03:39.699 --> 03:42.728 President Trump and President Xi Jinping spoke by telephone 03:42.728 --> 03:46.395 on February 9th, and after first speaking to 03:46.674 --> 03:50.591 State Counselor Yang by phone on February 21st, 03:52.774 --> 03:56.926 the Secretary welcomed State Counselor Yang to the 03:56.926 --> 04:01.093 State Department also for a meeting on February 28th. 04:01.517 --> 04:04.697 The Secretary of course, also formally met with Wang Yi, 04:04.697 --> 04:07.498 Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bonn, Germany, 04:07.498 --> 04:11.665 on the margins of the G-24 Administer's Meeting in February. 04:12.762 --> 04:16.199 So I think these calls and visits early in the 04:16.199 --> 04:20.052 Trump Administration with the various counterparts in Asia 04:20.052 --> 04:23.025 show that we are moving quickly to establish good lines 04:23.025 --> 04:27.192 of communication and are seeking to establish very 04:29.058 --> 04:33.225 constructive relations also with our Chinese partners. 04:34.865 --> 04:39.032 We are pursuing a results oriented relationship with China, 04:40.885 --> 04:44.473 one that benefits the American people, and one that remains 04:44.473 --> 04:47.471 faithful to our allies and presses China to abide by 04:47.471 --> 04:49.971 international rules and norms. 04:50.296 --> 04:54.463 Each meeting up to now Secretary Tillerson has urged China 04:54.617 --> 04:58.700 to use all available tools to alter North Korea's 04:59.353 --> 05:03.253 destabilizing behavior, and he's discussed the need to 05:03.253 --> 05:05.987 create a level playing field for trade and investment 05:05.987 --> 05:08.154 between our two countries. 05:08.533 --> 05:12.700 So we expect at each stop on Secretary Tillerson's trip 05:12.771 --> 05:15.631 the discussion will be forward looking, 05:15.631 --> 05:19.798 and will focus on ways that we can strengthen cooperation 05:19.811 --> 05:23.670 in order to advance the security and economic wellbeing 05:23.670 --> 05:27.451 of the American people and of our friends and partners 05:27.451 --> 05:28.284 in Asia. 05:29.568 --> 05:32.071 This visit will be the first of what we envision will be 05:32.071 --> 05:35.071 close ongoing working relationships. 05:36.390 --> 05:39.933 In closing I just want to reiterate, of course you all know, 05:39.933 --> 05:43.746 the U.S. is a Pacific power, and we will certainly be 05:43.746 --> 05:47.913 remaining active and engaged in Asia in this administration. 05:48.378 --> 05:52.545 The visit will focus on our pursuit of a constructive 05:52.804 --> 05:56.671 and results based relationship with China as part of a 05:56.671 --> 06:00.094 larger Asia policy that prioritizes our alliances and 06:00.094 --> 06:03.890 strategic friendships which have been the bedrock of peace 06:03.890 --> 06:06.348 and security in the Asian region. 06:06.348 --> 06:10.515 We will also look to further broaden and enhance U.S. 06:10.934 --> 06:13.871 economic interests in the Asia-Pacific region. 06:13.871 --> 06:17.570 We will continue our security cooperation and seek to 06:17.570 --> 06:20.530 build on our current security cooperation with two 06:20.530 --> 06:24.697 key allies, and we will seek to pursue foreign policy 06:25.405 --> 06:29.238 cooperation on global and regional challenges. 06:29.382 --> 06:33.511 And so with that I'll be happy to take a few questions 06:33.511 --> 06:35.844 before we head out tomorrow. 06:36.068 --> 06:37.749 Thanks all for being here. 06:37.749 --> 06:39.457 - [Andy] As we move to the Q and A portion, 06:39.457 --> 06:41.105 please wait for the microphone, 06:41.105 --> 06:43.508 and state your name and publication for the transcript. 06:43.508 --> 06:46.425 We'll go right there in the middle. 06:47.818 --> 06:50.985 - Thank you, my name is Mee-Gyong Kim, 06:51.675 --> 06:55.508 with (mumbling) Daily, Korea. 06:55.981 --> 07:00.148 Do you expect to announce any new sanctions like against 07:00.978 --> 07:05.145 North Korea, including secondary boycott or financial 07:06.197 --> 07:10.030 sanction against North Korea during this trip? 07:11.050 --> 07:12.251 - Right, thank you. 07:12.251 --> 07:16.418 Well of course, as I mentioned, North Korea's provocative 07:20.547 --> 07:23.657 behavior, its violations of the U.N. Security Council 07:23.657 --> 07:27.824 resolutions have galvanized the international community 07:28.025 --> 07:32.192 and have brought to the fore these two U.N. Security Council 07:33.333 --> 07:36.883 resolutions which have been passed recently imposing 07:36.883 --> 07:40.767 the tightest sanctions regime we've ever had with respect 07:40.767 --> 07:42.017 to North Korea. 07:42.469 --> 07:46.636 That's U.N. Security Council resolutions 2270 and 2321. 07:47.885 --> 07:51.458 I think you all know that the current administration, 07:51.458 --> 07:55.625 especially following on the missile launches that occurred 07:56.141 --> 07:59.812 a couple of weeks ago, is looking very actively at 07:59.812 --> 08:03.558 the issue of North Korea and reviewing its approach 08:03.558 --> 08:07.013 and what kinds of options it is considering. 08:07.013 --> 08:10.644 That process is still ongoing, so although we will 08:10.644 --> 08:14.474 certainly continue to strictly implement the U.N. Security 08:14.474 --> 08:17.503 Council resolutions, and we call on our partners around 08:17.503 --> 08:21.586 the world to continue to actively implement those 08:21.597 --> 08:25.680 resolutions and to maintain the sanctions regime, 08:25.826 --> 08:29.075 we don't have anything new at the moment to announce. 08:29.075 --> 08:31.633 We're intent on keeping up the pressure on the 08:31.633 --> 08:35.800 North Korean regime, and trying to change the calculus 08:36.947 --> 08:40.052 on the part of the North Korean leadership to come back to 08:40.052 --> 08:44.219 the negotiating table and discuss its illegal and very 08:44.938 --> 08:47.521 destabilizing weapons programs. 08:47.755 --> 08:50.168 So I don't think we will have anything new to announce 08:50.168 --> 08:54.335 on this trip, but certainly discussing the elements of any 08:54.445 --> 08:58.612 new approach would be an important part of the discussions. 08:58.657 --> 09:01.490 - [Andy] Okay, we'll go down here. 09:05.304 --> 09:06.184 - Thank you very much. 09:06.184 --> 09:09.267 Ching Chan with Shanghai Media Group. 09:09.723 --> 09:13.890 And I'd like to is Secretary Tillerson's visit paving 09:14.039 --> 09:18.206 the way for the future meeting between President Xi Jinping 09:18.668 --> 09:20.335 and President Trump? 09:20.718 --> 09:24.710 And also we saw since President Trump took office 09:24.710 --> 09:28.877 we saw a very frequent bilateral high level meetings. 09:31.450 --> 09:35.361 So will the U.S. carry on the periodical strategic 09:35.361 --> 09:38.528 (noise interruption). 09:39.171 --> 09:41.868 And also what's the progress of BIT right now? 09:41.868 --> 09:42.701 Thank you. 09:42.877 --> 09:43.710 - Okay. 09:43.990 --> 09:45.152 A series of questions there. 09:45.152 --> 09:46.955 I'll try to take them one by one. 09:46.955 --> 09:48.429 So the first question. 09:48.429 --> 09:51.513 I mean, certainly Secretary Tillerson is our 09:51.513 --> 09:52.841 Secretary of State. 09:52.841 --> 09:56.595 He's in charge of our foreign policy, and of course his trip 09:56.595 --> 10:00.762 will to some extent be paving the way for future high level 10:00.990 --> 10:03.058 meetings between our two presidents. 10:03.058 --> 10:04.402 There's no question about that. 10:04.402 --> 10:08.419 I expect that he will be discussing with the Chinese 10:08.419 --> 10:12.391 interlocutors all of the various challenges and also 10:12.391 --> 10:16.558 areas of cooperation that we are looking to continue 10:16.841 --> 10:20.715 to pursue and continue to discuss and make progress on. 10:20.715 --> 10:24.882 And I think there's been some discussion in the news 10:25.647 --> 10:28.260 recently about high level meetings. 10:28.260 --> 10:31.265 I don't have anything specific to announce on that front, 10:31.265 --> 10:34.817 but I think as you've seen in the communicàtion between 10:34.817 --> 10:37.839 the two presidents themselves, there's been talk of 10:37.839 --> 10:39.256 an early meeting. 10:39.401 --> 10:43.568 So I think Secretary Tillerson's first trip out to China, 10:43.854 --> 10:48.021 of course he's going to be meeting some of the counterparts 10:48.408 --> 10:51.240 for the first time, but he will certainly be looking to 10:51.240 --> 10:55.157 set out the sort of work plan for the bilateral 10:55.579 --> 10:57.657 relationship in the new administration. 10:57.657 --> 10:59.574 So the second question. 11:02.367 --> 11:03.752 - [Ching] Regarding the dialog. 11:03.752 --> 11:06.312 - Oh, the dialog, so yeah, right. 11:06.312 --> 11:08.775 So on the, I mean we have this trip. 11:08.775 --> 11:12.942 Then we will be having continued engagements I think. 11:13.124 --> 11:17.041 I know one thing that the Chinese side has been 11:17.085 --> 11:19.730 interested in is continued high level engagement, 11:19.730 --> 11:22.708 and I think the administration has already signaled 11:22.708 --> 11:25.416 with this trip and talk of a high level meeting in 11:25.416 --> 11:29.583 the future that we will be continuing high level engagement. 11:31.592 --> 11:35.587 As far as the specific form that that's gonna take, 11:35.587 --> 11:39.754 and with regard to the future of this sort of strategic 11:40.681 --> 11:43.112 and economic dialog and some of the other specific 11:43.112 --> 11:47.279 mechanisms, we haven't actually gotten to the point of 11:48.652 --> 11:51.502 discussing how those might be changed or which ones 11:51.502 --> 11:52.752 would continue. 11:53.005 --> 11:55.252 But I think that we're starting the conversation here, 11:55.252 --> 11:56.480 so that's a good thing. 11:56.480 --> 12:00.647 On the BIT, I think there have continued to be rounds of 12:01.766 --> 12:04.676 discussions on the BIT between our working level 12:04.676 --> 12:07.240 counterparts, and I think it's one of the things that 12:07.240 --> 12:10.157 certainly will be part of the discussions coming up 12:10.157 --> 12:13.826 on this trip as to what happens to that negotiation 12:13.826 --> 12:16.826 and whether or not it moves forward. 12:24.694 --> 12:27.934 - Sang (mumbling) from 21st Century Business Herald. 12:27.934 --> 12:31.801 We know that 12 TPP member countries were meeting in 12:31.801 --> 12:35.532 (mumbling) tomorrow for two days meeting, 12:35.532 --> 12:37.782 plus China and South Korea. 12:38.115 --> 12:42.282 And I wonder if State Department have any comments on that. 12:44.475 --> 12:48.642 And as U.S.A. is not a part of the TPP negotiation, 12:49.982 --> 12:54.149 do you foresee that by any chance President Trump will 12:55.855 --> 12:59.300 change his mind and go back to TPP negotiation table? 12:59.300 --> 13:03.467 And do you still see TPP or integration of Asia Pacific 13:06.290 --> 13:10.457 economic interests as a rebalancing of pillar to Asia, 13:11.925 --> 13:15.271 or economic (mumbling) for U.S. presence in 13:15.271 --> 13:16.791 Asia Pacific region? 13:16.791 --> 13:17.624 Thanks. 13:18.315 --> 13:20.620 - Okay, again a series of questions. 13:20.620 --> 13:24.787 Sometimes a little bit complicated, but I'll try to answer. 13:25.098 --> 13:29.265 You know, I think the issue of the U.S. economic engagement 13:30.050 --> 13:32.979 in Asia is the focus on your question, 13:32.979 --> 13:35.812 and I would answer that like this. 13:36.479 --> 13:40.308 This administration certainly recognizes that Asia is 13:40.308 --> 13:44.475 the most dynamic and holds the potential for a lot of 13:45.239 --> 13:49.406 future growth as a region, and that it's very essential 13:49.508 --> 13:53.008 to the future of U.S. economic prosperity. 13:53.254 --> 13:56.483 And so I think what we're looking to do is to approach 13:56.483 --> 14:00.650 our economic engagement with Asia in a way that not only 14:01.547 --> 14:05.555 promotes growth, but also promotes the interests of 14:05.555 --> 14:08.607 the United States, of United States workers, 14:08.607 --> 14:11.422 of United States citizens and United States companies. 14:11.422 --> 14:15.589 So we're looking for a way of, you used the word rebalance, 14:17.395 --> 14:21.562 but leveling the playing field because the feeling is that 14:22.400 --> 14:26.567 the playing field has been tilted against the favor of 14:26.664 --> 14:30.319 some of our companies and some of our interests in the 14:30.319 --> 14:34.431 trade arrangements that have persisted up until now. 14:34.431 --> 14:36.944 And so I think that's what we'll be looking at is how to 14:36.944 --> 14:40.036 certainly engage economically with the region, 14:40.036 --> 14:44.203 but how to make sure that the engagement is fair and 14:44.876 --> 14:46.876 balanced, as you put it. 14:48.036 --> 14:49.257 - [Andy] Okay, we're gonna break away and take 14:49.257 --> 14:50.728 a question from New York. 14:50.728 --> 14:52.895 Please go ahead, New York. 14:53.381 --> 14:57.076 - Hi, this is Manick Methos, syndicated journalist. 14:57.076 --> 15:01.243 I have a question in regard to the tensions currently seen 15:02.169 --> 15:06.336 between North Korea and Malaysia following the assassination 15:08.197 --> 15:12.030 of the stepbrother of the North Korean leader. 15:13.294 --> 15:17.461 Would this issue come up for discussions with China? 15:17.634 --> 15:20.134 And what is your take on that? 15:21.008 --> 15:23.667 What is the State Department's take on that? 15:23.667 --> 15:25.016 Would you like to comment, please? 15:25.016 --> 15:25.849 Thank you. 15:26.759 --> 15:29.248 - Yeah, thank you for the question. 15:29.248 --> 15:33.415 I think our take on this issue is that Malaysian government 15:33.668 --> 15:37.835 has a perfect right to try to defend its citizens and 15:38.262 --> 15:42.429 its territories from attacks on people, whether it be at 15:44.463 --> 15:47.213 their airport or in other venues. 15:47.702 --> 15:50.324 And so we have been very supportive of Malaysian government 15:50.324 --> 15:53.808 efforts to get to the bottom of this attack. 15:53.808 --> 15:57.975 And I think for any kind of detailed discussions on the 15:59.423 --> 16:03.208 tensions between the Malaysian government and the government 16:03.208 --> 16:07.375 of the DPRK, I would have to refer you to the two of them. 16:08.460 --> 16:11.492 I know that there have been some ongoing discussions, 16:11.492 --> 16:15.600 but I don't anticipate, I mean other than our support for 16:15.600 --> 16:19.767 the Malaysian government handling this very difficult issue, 16:19.802 --> 16:22.626 I don't think I have any further comment from the 16:22.626 --> 16:25.043 State Department perspective. 16:27.021 --> 16:30.688 - [Andy] Okay, we'll go to the middle there. 16:38.043 --> 16:39.937 - Okay, thank you very much. 16:39.937 --> 16:43.353 I'm Guzupta from Christian Broadcasting System in Korea, 16:43.353 --> 16:47.128 and there is some speculation that the next president 16:47.128 --> 16:51.211 of Korea will make a different decision about the 16:51.641 --> 16:54.641 self-deployment in Korean Peninsula. 16:55.533 --> 16:59.616 So would you possibly confirm your position about 17:00.940 --> 17:02.273 that deployment? 17:02.802 --> 17:06.969 And then what's gonna be the Secretary Tillerson's actions 17:07.175 --> 17:08.508 during the trip? 17:09.723 --> 17:10.556 Thank you. 17:11.364 --> 17:12.879 - Great, thank you. 17:12.879 --> 17:17.046 Well, just on the first part of your question about the 17:18.396 --> 17:22.063 issue of the political situation in the ROK, 17:23.298 --> 17:25.631 and how we think about that. 17:27.170 --> 17:29.877 I mean, I think what you've seen actually over the past 17:29.877 --> 17:33.399 number of weeks is the unfolding of a pretty transparent 17:33.399 --> 17:37.566 process undergirded by varying democratic institutions, 17:39.806 --> 17:43.954 which have really proven their meddle in the unfolding 17:43.954 --> 17:46.704 of this sort of peaceful process. 17:46.829 --> 17:49.062 It's a difficult process of course, but I think we see 17:49.062 --> 17:52.903 the strength of South Korean democratic institutions 17:52.903 --> 17:54.653 through this process. 17:54.744 --> 17:58.508 And I think we are certainly aware that there's going to be 17:58.508 --> 18:02.405 an upcoming political process and set of new elections 18:02.405 --> 18:06.572 for president coming up, and that there may be candidates 18:07.100 --> 18:10.587 that will be different from those that have been in 18:10.587 --> 18:13.504 the administration in recent years. 18:13.980 --> 18:17.012 As to what it means for the THAAD deployment, 18:17.012 --> 18:20.007 it's very difficult obviously to say since we have no idea 18:20.007 --> 18:24.174 who the candidates are yet, never mind who's going to win. 18:24.200 --> 18:28.367 But I think the way we look at the THAAD deployment is 18:28.666 --> 18:32.833 it's a very, utterly reasonable step for a country to take 18:35.774 --> 18:39.160 which sees itself threatened by missiles from its 18:39.160 --> 18:42.799 northern neighbor, and not only sees itself threatened, 18:42.799 --> 18:45.627 but these threats and these provocations are coming now 18:45.627 --> 18:48.460 with great regularity, and it's very alarming to people 18:48.460 --> 18:52.147 who have to live under that kind of a situation. 18:52.147 --> 18:55.154 So I think for us the THAAD deployment is not related to 18:55.154 --> 18:59.321 some political constellation or other consideration. 18:59.660 --> 19:03.827 It's a very reasonable and real response to a very 19:04.390 --> 19:08.557 provocative threat that is facing people in South Korea. 19:09.726 --> 19:12.553 So you know, I'm sure we'll be continuing to discuss it, 19:12.553 --> 19:16.720 but I really don't think that there's any big mystery 19:17.789 --> 19:21.302 about why people in South Korea should be sort of 19:21.302 --> 19:24.969 feeling the demand signal for such a system. 19:26.897 --> 19:29.149 - [Andy] Okay, we'll come down here. 19:29.149 --> 19:31.649 Be patient for the microphone. 19:33.310 --> 19:36.958 - Thank you very much, Susan, for coming back. 19:36.958 --> 19:39.348 My name is Don Hu Yu with China the Real News Agency 19:39.348 --> 19:40.431 of Hong Kong. 19:41.005 --> 19:45.172 And now that President Trump has said that he will owner 19:46.199 --> 19:50.366 One China policy, could you please state here clearly 19:52.412 --> 19:55.517 representing the Trump administration, 19:55.517 --> 19:58.350 what is the U.S. One China policy? 19:59.055 --> 20:03.222 How would President Trump talk to President Xi in their 20:05.568 --> 20:09.151 possible first meeting in Florida about the 20:09.254 --> 20:11.793 One China policy and Taiwan issue? 20:11.793 --> 20:13.460 Thank you very much. 20:15.003 --> 20:17.213 - It's hard for me to imagine how President Xi will 20:17.213 --> 20:19.892 talk to President Trump about the One China policy, 20:19.892 --> 20:22.687 but I do know what our One China policy is, 20:22.687 --> 20:26.854 which is the policy that was reaffirmed in the phone call 20:26.959 --> 20:28.583 between the two presidents. 20:28.583 --> 20:32.224 So our One China policy, as I'm sure many of you know, 20:32.224 --> 20:36.224 is the same U.S. One China policy that we've had 20:36.261 --> 20:40.428 going back generations and generations of different 20:41.020 --> 20:44.880 secretaries of state all the way back to Henry Kissinger. 20:44.880 --> 20:49.047 It's based on the three joint sino U.S. communiques 20:49.147 --> 20:52.730 that were signed in 1972 and 1979 and 1982. 20:53.876 --> 20:58.043 And it's also based importantly on the Taiwan Relations Act 20:58.565 --> 21:02.732 which is a U.S. law, a piece of legislation signed into law 21:03.514 --> 21:07.681 also in 1979, which provides for the United States robust, 21:09.557 --> 21:13.260 strong and committed unofficial relations between the people 21:13.260 --> 21:15.766 in the United States and the people in Taiwan. 21:15.766 --> 21:19.284 And I think that that has been stated clearly by 21:19.284 --> 21:20.431 President Trump. 21:20.431 --> 21:22.680 It's been understood clearly by President Xi, 21:22.680 --> 21:25.495 and I think that in the follow up conversations that 21:25.495 --> 21:28.112 we've had with our interlocutors in China there doesn't 21:28.112 --> 21:32.279 seem to be any question about, that that's our stated 21:33.568 --> 21:35.651 policy and going forward. 21:36.178 --> 21:40.114 - [Andy] We'll get the gentleman standing in back. 21:40.114 --> 21:42.114 - Hi, Nathan King. CGTN. 21:42.606 --> 21:44.626 I wanna follow up on our Korean colleague's question, 21:44.626 --> 21:46.478 maybe phrase it a bit differently. 21:46.478 --> 21:49.526 Would you respect the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea 21:49.526 --> 21:52.973 if they decided against THAAD and a new government? 21:52.973 --> 21:55.861 And also you said, sorry, I'm just going through 21:55.861 --> 21:57.028 my notes here. 21:57.122 --> 22:00.658 You said you wanted a results based relationship with China. 22:00.658 --> 22:03.788 Can you explain what that means a little bit? 22:03.788 --> 22:04.621 - Sure. 22:05.737 --> 22:08.479 So on the first question, would we respect the sovereignty 22:08.479 --> 22:10.729 of the South Korean polity? 22:12.579 --> 22:14.561 I mean, of course we would respect the sovereignty 22:14.561 --> 22:17.642 of South Korea, so I don't think that that's at issue. 22:17.642 --> 22:20.762 I mean, I think that's not really the question 22:20.762 --> 22:23.182 that's at issue because this decision was made as an 22:23.182 --> 22:24.682 alliance decision. 22:25.596 --> 22:28.378 It was made in consultation and jointly between the 22:28.378 --> 22:32.187 ROK and the United States, and I anticipate that anything 22:32.187 --> 22:34.733 that would happen would be discussed. 22:34.733 --> 22:37.696 But I don't think there's any question that we respect 22:37.696 --> 22:40.069 the sovereignty of South Korea. 22:40.069 --> 22:43.902 On the issue of the, what was the second part? 22:44.895 --> 22:47.228 (crosstalk) 22:47.906 --> 22:49.573 Results based, yeah. 22:50.846 --> 22:55.013 So I think this gets to sort of what I mentioned earlier 22:58.646 --> 23:01.726 in response to the question from the gentleman from 23:01.726 --> 23:05.652 the 21st Century Herald about our engagement economically 23:05.652 --> 23:06.485 with Asia. 23:07.781 --> 23:10.541 I mean, we want to be able to pursue a constructive 23:10.541 --> 23:14.708 discussion with China that enables us to get at sort of 23:15.083 --> 23:18.583 problem areas and make progress on issues. 23:19.026 --> 23:22.757 And I think in certainly the economic and trade 23:22.757 --> 23:26.682 relationship, although it's obviously been a very 23:26.682 --> 23:30.577 bountiful relationship and mutually beneficial, 23:30.577 --> 23:33.091 over the recent period of time there's definitely 23:33.091 --> 23:37.258 a feeling that there is some weighting of the scale, 23:38.260 --> 23:42.427 if we can put it that way, and some areas that need to 23:42.921 --> 23:44.808 be righted in that sense. 23:44.808 --> 23:47.282 So I think we wanna have a discussion where we can 23:47.282 --> 23:49.441 make progress on those issues that we're raising, 23:49.441 --> 23:52.235 and we wanna see that move forward. 23:52.235 --> 23:55.318 That's what we mean by results based. 23:55.319 --> 23:56.458 - [Andy] We'll go all the way in the back 23:56.458 --> 23:57.875 to the gentleman. 24:01.203 --> 24:04.671 - Hi, thank you, Kyle Herdeen from Fugi TV. 24:04.671 --> 24:07.338 So I have two questions for you. 24:07.970 --> 24:12.137 First about the recent North Korean missile launches. 24:12.576 --> 24:15.982 Specifically those missiles were targeted at U.S. bases 24:15.982 --> 24:20.149 in Japan, or at least that's what the testing was for. 24:20.491 --> 24:24.658 So having said that, is Secretary Tillerson going to be 24:24.977 --> 24:27.717 speaking with the Japanese officials about more 24:27.717 --> 24:30.917 defense within Japan, which might include THAAD, 24:30.917 --> 24:34.575 or is he anticipating discussions from the Japanese 24:34.575 --> 24:35.908 on more defense? 24:36.321 --> 24:39.505 And then secondly I wanted to ask about the 38 trademarks 24:39.505 --> 24:41.843 that were recently approved by the Chinese government 24:41.843 --> 24:43.176 on Trump's name. 24:43.566 --> 24:47.733 When Secretary Tillerson is in China, will he be advocating 24:49.144 --> 24:53.003 for future approval of those kinds of trademarks 24:53.003 --> 24:54.170 in the future? 24:55.242 --> 24:59.409 - Okay, so on the first question, I mean I think it stands 25:00.159 --> 25:04.130 to reason that when Secretary Tillerson is in Tokyo 25:04.130 --> 25:06.781 one of the things we have been discussing with them 25:06.781 --> 25:10.948 in the encounters we've had so far in this administration, 25:11.095 --> 25:13.214 but also in the last administration, is how we can 25:13.214 --> 25:17.381 strengthen the alliance, and what more Japan can do 25:17.514 --> 25:20.735 to contribute to the strengthening of the alliance. 25:20.735 --> 25:23.900 And so there will certainly be discussions as there 25:23.900 --> 25:27.817 have been ongoing about future strengthening of 25:28.744 --> 25:31.453 the alliance, and future capabilities that might come 25:31.453 --> 25:33.406 into play to help with that. 25:33.406 --> 25:37.134 So I think it's not as a result so much of the recent 25:37.134 --> 25:40.964 missile launches, but it is part of the ongoing 25:40.964 --> 25:45.131 conversation, and it is partly inspired by the kind of 25:46.001 --> 25:50.141 increasing concern that we have with North Korea's 25:50.141 --> 25:53.527 weapons programs, as they continue to test kind of 25:53.527 --> 25:57.694 on a regular basis over the last year or year and a half. 25:58.225 --> 26:01.808 On the question of the trademarks in China, 26:02.665 --> 26:05.748 so I'm not a patent trademark lawyer, 26:06.327 --> 26:09.944 and I'm not intimately familiar with the details 26:09.944 --> 26:14.111 of these cases, but I'm pretty sure that Secretary Tillerson 26:14.922 --> 26:17.719 will probably not be talking about these kinds 26:17.719 --> 26:19.636 of issues when he goes. 26:20.745 --> 26:22.742 My understanding is that most of these cases have been 26:22.742 --> 26:26.909 hanging around for a long time, and they're kind of, 26:27.708 --> 26:30.079 I don't know if you call it a false flag trademark 26:30.079 --> 26:31.162 registration. 26:31.670 --> 26:35.078 And so a lot of them I think were pretty easily dispatched 26:35.078 --> 26:39.245 through the court process, so I don't think this rises 26:39.408 --> 26:41.905 to the level of something that the Secretary would be 26:41.905 --> 26:46.072 talking about, but that's my understanding anyway. 26:46.754 --> 26:48.907 - [Andy] Okay, we have time for a few more questions. 26:48.907 --> 26:51.022 I'm going to go first to New York. 26:51.022 --> 26:53.189 Please go ahead, New York. 26:54.808 --> 26:57.530 - Hi, my name is Sir Michael Pearson from Dutch newspaper 26:57.530 --> 26:59.863 (mumbling). 27:00.099 --> 27:03.261 A question, Secretary Tillerson was not taking along 27:03.261 --> 27:07.178 the press corps on this trip to Southeast Asia, 27:07.762 --> 27:11.929 nor has he been holding a lot of press conferences so far. 27:13.739 --> 27:14.946 Could you comment on that? 27:14.946 --> 27:19.113 He seems sometimes to be a bit isolated with regard 27:19.477 --> 27:22.060 to the press and to the public. 27:24.202 --> 27:26.452 Well, your comment, please. 27:27.196 --> 27:31.363 - Our press spokesperson, acting spokesperson Mark Toner 27:33.380 --> 27:35.581 has spoken quite a bit from the podium at the 27:35.581 --> 27:37.800 State Department on this issue. 27:37.800 --> 27:40.894 But I would say just with regard to the trip to 27:40.894 --> 27:43.880 Northeast Asia, there are about 20 journalists that 27:43.880 --> 27:47.455 are gonna be flying out I think to Northeast Asia 27:47.455 --> 27:49.911 to join with the trip, and we're making all the 27:49.911 --> 27:52.839 arrangements so that they can cover all of the events 27:52.839 --> 27:56.006 where the press is gonna be convening. 27:58.136 --> 28:01.641 So I don't think we've had so much of a problem in 28:01.641 --> 28:05.808 getting the press to travel, and we're making all the 28:05.837 --> 28:08.162 arrangements on the ground for them to be there. 28:08.162 --> 28:10.412 I know Secretary Tillerson. 28:10.493 --> 28:12.824 You know, it's very early days in the administration. 28:12.824 --> 28:16.991 Secretary Tillerson was only confirmed a couple of 28:17.006 --> 28:20.606 months ago, and he's been very busy in the time since 28:20.606 --> 28:23.376 trying to sort of get up to speed and have a lot of 28:23.376 --> 28:26.827 these different issues that all of the administration 28:26.827 --> 28:29.777 and cabinet officials are looking at and reviewing. 28:29.777 --> 28:33.710 And so I think we're certainly, we've got the State 28:33.710 --> 28:37.309 Department press briefing back up online now, 28:37.309 --> 28:39.954 and I think you're gonna start to see more and more 28:39.954 --> 28:41.537 engagement from us. 28:41.872 --> 28:45.501 I think the Secretary is doing a press conference 28:45.501 --> 28:48.501 in Toyko with his counterpart there, 28:49.126 --> 28:52.459 and so we'll look for him to be engaged. 28:53.865 --> 28:58.032 I wouldn't at all condone the moniker of being isolated. 29:01.296 --> 29:03.716 - [Andy] Okay, for a final question we'll go to 29:03.716 --> 29:07.216 the lady right there, sitting right there. 29:09.324 --> 29:11.797 - Thank you, Elise Heras from NHK. 29:11.797 --> 29:14.057 I noticed you shied away earlier from the word 29:14.057 --> 29:16.098 rebalance, and I was wondering if you could clarify 29:16.098 --> 29:18.787 this administration's position on the pivot or 29:18.787 --> 29:20.144 rebalance to Asia? 29:20.144 --> 29:22.915 And also do you have any updates to share on the schedule, 29:22.915 --> 29:27.082 specifically will there be anything in any of the stops 29:27.624 --> 29:30.457 other than the bilateral meetings? 29:30.558 --> 29:32.920 - So the second thing was about the schedule? 29:32.920 --> 29:36.389 - If Secretary Tillerson will be making any stops 29:36.389 --> 29:40.367 other than the bilateral meetings in each of the countries? 29:40.367 --> 29:43.092 - Yeah, so just to pick up the point on the schedule, 29:43.092 --> 29:45.092 I don't have anything to announce on the details 29:45.092 --> 29:46.096 of the schedule. 29:46.096 --> 29:48.418 I'm only sort of going over the official meetings. 29:48.418 --> 29:51.510 I'm not sure, I don't think all the details on all of 29:51.510 --> 29:54.471 the other activities have been nailed down yet. 29:54.471 --> 29:58.554 So I'll leave that to our press office and the PA 29:58.905 --> 30:01.645 folks to release the details on that. 30:01.645 --> 30:05.801 On the issue of pivot, rebalance, etc., I mean that was 30:05.801 --> 30:09.968 a word that was used to described the Asia policy in 30:10.067 --> 30:11.795 the last administration. 30:11.795 --> 30:14.119 I think you can probably expect that this administration 30:14.119 --> 30:18.286 will have its own formulation, and it hasn't actually, 30:20.204 --> 30:24.287 we haven't really seen in detail kind of what the 30:25.675 --> 30:29.842 formulation will be, or if there even will be a formulation. 30:30.456 --> 30:32.921 But what I outlined in my opening is kind of the broad 30:32.921 --> 30:35.103 strokes of what the messaging is. 30:35.103 --> 30:37.229 We're gonna remain engaged and active in Asia. 30:37.229 --> 30:41.396 The Asian economy is very important for U.S. prosperity 30:41.624 --> 30:45.791 and growth, and so we'll be there working on fair trade 30:47.599 --> 30:49.432 and free trade issues. 30:50.031 --> 30:53.689 We're working on regional security challenges such as 30:53.689 --> 30:57.497 North Korea, and continue to press for a rules based 30:57.497 --> 31:01.664 and sort of construction, peaceful, stable order in Asia. 31:02.997 --> 31:06.657 And whether there will be a kind of a bumper sticker 31:06.657 --> 31:09.631 to put on that at some point, it's still like I said 31:09.631 --> 31:12.528 it's early days, so I think it's early to say. 31:12.528 --> 31:15.655 - [Reporter] Susan, can you take one question on Taiwan? 31:15.655 --> 31:17.442 - I took one question on Taiwan. 31:17.442 --> 31:18.792 (laughing) 31:18.792 --> 31:20.125 It's up to Andy. 31:21.287 --> 31:22.554 - [Andy] I do, I'm sorry, we're out of time. 31:22.554 --> 31:24.024 Thank you all for coming. 31:24.024 --> 31:25.655 This event is now concluded. 31:25.655 --> 31:26.655 - Oh, sorry. 31:26.952 --> 31:29.202 (laughing) 31:29.759 --> 31:32.092 (crosstalk)