Washington, DC - A Steadfast and Enduring Commitment: Vice President Pence visited Japan, Singapore, Australia, and Papua New Guinea this week to reaffirm President Trump’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in which all nations are sovereign, strong, and prosperous.

For two centuries, American security and prosperity have depended upon free and open access to the Indo-Pacific region, allowing for two-way investment and trade that today support millions of American jobs — numbers that will grow as the Administration counteracts state-sponsored theft of intellectual property and other market distortions that fuel trade imbalances.

The Indo-Pacific encompasses more than half the Earth’s surface, half the human family, and two-thirds of global trade. Its economic and strategic significance to Americans grows by the day.

Enhancing Shared Prosperity:  America has made foreign direct investments of $1.4 trillion in the Indo-Pacific region—more than Chinese, Japanese, and South Korean investments combined.  President Trump’s ‘America First’ economic agenda — including deregulation, tax cuts and tax reform — also mean America is attracting more investment from the Indo-Pacific than ever before. Vice President Pence announced new initiatives that will advance fair and reciprocal trade and mobilize even greater private investment.

• The BUILD Act, which President Trump signed in October, doubles U.S. development finance capacity to $60 billion. This week the U.S., Japan and Australia signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding on development finance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
• Having updated the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the Trump Administration intends to negotiate a U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement.
• Through the Japan-U.S. Strategic Energy Partnership, Japan will align its $10 billion regional energy investment target with the Trump Administration’s Asia EDGE initiative.
• The new U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership will help municipal governments advance the digital transformation of urban systems.
• The U.S.-SEGA program will build capacity in APEC economies to adopt high-standard, comprehensive trade and investment policies.

Ensuring a Peaceful and Secure Regional Order: Vice President Pence deepened cooperation with allies and partners on North Korean denuclearization, freedom of navigation in the East and South China Seas, and combatting terrorism and violent extremism.

• The United States and Japan announced delivery of ten F-35As, valued at $1.38 billion, under our Foreign Military Sales program, with six more to be delivered in 2019.
• The United States is providing more than half a billion dollars in security assistance to Indo-Pacific nations this year – more than double the previous year.
• The United States is expanding maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean region and the Pacific Islands.

Championing Good Governance and Civil Society:  Vice President Pence announced the Indo-Pacific Transparency Initiative to help countries attract greater private investment, combat corruption, and secure nations’ autonomy from foreign coercion.

• The United States promotes sound, just, and responsive governance through efforts to counter corruption, while encouraging strong civil society and honest business practices.
• In conjunction with more than $400 million, the Indo-Pacific Transparency Initiative will cooperate with allies, partners, and regional institutions, including ASEAN and APEC, to advance these shared principles.