Mattis, Tillerson Seem To Contradict Trump On China

- Well, good afternoon, all.
I do want to thank Secretary Mattis,
State Councilor Yang Jiechi,
and PLA Chief of Joint Staff Fang Fenghui
for a day of very productive meetings.
Secretary Mattis and I were quite
pleased to host the first session
of the Diplomatic Security Dialogue since we agreed
on this format at the Presidential summit at Mar-a-Lago.
This is one of four distinct dialogue areas
that will implement our President's vision
for constructive, results-oriented bilateral relations.
We're sustaining these regular talks at a much higher level
than in previous years and among principals
in both the civilian and the military agencies.
President Trump, I know, looks forward
to his state visit to China later this year.
As we've said before, U.S. and China have undergone,
relations have undergone a profound
transformation over the past 40 years.
These dialogues provide an opportunity to consider
how we're going to engage and how we're going
to live with one another over the next 40 years.
In furthering this relationship,
we need to work to expand areas of cooperation,
as we did today, on issues where we
have shared security interest.
But we also need to address, directly and very frankly,
areas where we face threats or areas
where we have differences so that we can narrow
these differences and solve the problems.
The most acute threat in the region
today is posed by the DPRK.
We both call for complete, verifiable,
and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
And we call on the DPRK to halt
its illegal nuclear weapons program
and its ballistic missile test
as stipulated in the UN Security Council resolutions.
We reaffirmed our commitment to implement in full
all relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
For example, we both agreed that our companies should not
do business with any UN-designated North Korean entities
in accordance with these resolutions.
China understands that the United States
regards North Korea as our top security threat.
We reiterated to China that they have
a diplomatic responsibility to exert much greater economic
and diplomatic pressure on the regime
if they want to prevent further escalation in the region.
Whether it is money laundering,
extorting Korean expatriates, or malicious cyber activity,
North Korea has engaged in a number of criminal enterprises
that help fund its weapons programs.
We must step up our efforts to help
to curtail these sources of revenue.
Countries around the world and in the UN Security Council
are joining in this effort and we hope
China will do their part as well.
The United States remains committed to building North,
is committed to holding North Korea accountable
for multiple violations of UN Security Council resolutions
which expressly prohibit its nuclear weapons
and ballistic missile programs.
We regret that it is the North Korean people
who suffer when the regime diverts
resources to these prohibited programs, and we urge
the DPRK regime to choose a better path for its people.
We also had a frank exchange
of views on the South China Sea.
Secretary Mattis and I were clear
that the U.S. position remains unchanged.
We oppose changes to the status quo of the past
through the militarization of outposts
in the South China Sea and excessive maritime claims
unsupported by international law,
and we uphold the freedom of navigation and overflight.
With that said, China has committed
to resolve their disputes peacefully and in accordance
with recognized principles of international law,
including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
During the dialogue, we also decided
to adopt greater coordination to face
the global threat posed by terrorism.
We will be looking to China to help the Iraqi Government
in specific meaningful ways to ensure the country's
long-term stability and economic growth as it battles ISIS
and begins its long process of rebuilding.
An important part of our discussion about the next 40 years
was increasing mutual trust and working
toward a long-term risk reduction effort
between our two militaries and our government.
Building on what we've done in the air and maritime spaces,
U.S. and Chinese civilian and military teams
start discussions in new areas
of strategic concern like space, cyberspace,
nuclear forces, and nonproliferation issues.
We need to enhance stability and develop
strong international standards in these areas,
and we need China to play a major role.
Lastly, we discussed how this administration will stand up
for American and universal values like human rights.
We will not be shy about raising our concerns
about China's human rights record,
and I was direct and candid in our meetings today.
Talk is not enough when it comes to increasing cooperation
and narrowing differences between our two sides.
The action items we have agreed upon today
have set a foundation for additional areas of cooperation
and we look forward to our next interaction
at this level and between our two presidents.
And I'll turn it to Secretary Mattis.
- Well, thank you, Secretary Tillerson.
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
A few words to add to Secretary Tillerson's report,
to give you something from the defense perspective.
This has been a unique opportunity for our nations
to engage in philosophical-level discussions
about how we discuss these issues and to discuss
the way ahead, together hosting our counterparts,
State Councilor Yang and General Fang.
In this first round of dialogues
agreed to by our presidents at the summit at Mar-a-Lago,
we gained a glimpse of a mutually
beneficial future that we can create.
As Secretary Tillerson mentioned,
the United State seeks a constructive
and a results-oriented relationship with China.
Events like the Diplomatic and Security Dialogue
we just completed represent our effort
to elevate and focus our bilateral discussions.
I'm committed to improving the U.S.-China
defense relationship so that it remains
a stabilizing element in our overall relationship.
Our two nations can and do cooperate
in mutually beneficial ways.
We prioritize mechanisms that contribute
to greater risk reduction between our armed forces,
that open and maintain effective channels
of communication between us, and that expand
areas of cooperation where we can.
At the same time, we do manage
our differences where we have them,
and while competition between our nations
is bound to occur, conflict is not inevitable.
This afternoon, we affirmed North Korea's
nuclear missile program is a threat
to peace and security in the Asia Pacific region.
We also affirmed our strong commitment to cooperate,
including through the UN, to realize our shared goal
of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Meanwhile, we will continue to take necessary measures
to defend ourselves and our allies.
We also discussed the importance of freedom
of navigation elsewhere in the region,
and the peaceful resolution of those disputes
in the maritime space, and we discussed ways
to decrease tension and reduce risk in the South China Sea.
As we maintain open dialogue on this topic,
the United States will continue to fly, sail,
and operate wherever international law allows.
And third, the United States and China agreed to explore
new areas of mil-to-mil cooperation,
including exchange of officers to improve transparency
and mutual understanding, and to discuss strategic issues
that Secretary Tillerson mentioned.
We welcome the opportunity to engage
with the Chinese counterparts on strategic topics
to discuss our differences, and will now
press forward where we can work together.
Thank you.
- [Heather] We have two questions today.
First, we'll start out with Nike Ching
from Voice of America, Nike.
- [Nike] Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary Tillerson.
After your last visit to China in March,
a Vietnamese-American from Houston,
Sandy Phan-Gillis was released.
Now today, after your discussion
with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi,
should we expect good news to come soon on the release
of the three more Americans detained in North Korea?
Separately, on Qatar, in a statement on Qatar
issued by the State Department yesterday,
the administration seems to have acknowledged
that it's being played by the Saudis over the Qatar crisis.
Isn't that embarrassing?
Thank you.
- With respect to the three additional American citizens
that have been illegally detained,
unlawfully detained by the regime in North Korea,
our efforts continue towards their release.
I have nothing to report further on that at this time.
With respect to the situation in the Middle East
between Qatar and the four countries
who have issues with Qatar, our role has been
to encourage the parties to get their issues on the table,
clearly articulated, so that those issues can be addressed
and some resolution process can get underway
to bring this to a conclusion.
Our desire is for unity within the Gulf,
and unity within the GCC, and that we redirect
all of our efforts on the war against terror,
the war to defeat ISIS and Daesh in the region.
- [Heather] Barbara Plett from BBC.
- [Barbara] Thank you.
Secretary Mattis, the President seemed to signal yesterday
that he was extremely angry and frustrated with North Korea,
and that China had failed in its attempt to help on that.
Despite these continued efforts at cooperation,
is the administration beginning to think
that China will not be able to rein North Korea in,
and is there any consideration of new, direct action?
In particular, has the military posture changed in any way?
And if I may, a question on the South China Sea.
Control of the South China Sea is
a fundamental part of China's strategic policy.
Freedom of navigation efforts notwithstanding,
how far is the U.S. willing to go to prevent militarization?
Thank you.
- In regards to the President's view of North Korea,
I believe he represents the American people's
view of North Korea right now.
We see a young man go over there,
healthy, and with a minor act of
mischief, come home dead, basically,
die immediately after he gets here.
There's no way that we can look at a situation like this
with any kind of understanding.
This goes beyond any kind of understanding
of law and order, of humanity,
of responsibility towards any human being.
So what you're seeing, I think,
is the American people's frustration with a regime
that provokes, and provokes, and provokes,
and basically plays outside the rules,
plays fast and loose with the truth, that sort of thing.
As far as China's role,
China continues to work these issues.
The reason for this dialogue that we had today
was to have an open and frank dialogue
about what more can be done in areas of common interest.
I would point out to you that China's end state
on the Korean Peninsula in terms
of nuclear weapons is the same as ours,
and we continue to work towards that end state.
On South China Sea, this is a dialogue
where we identify areas where we can work together
and to understand those areas where we have,
I would call them disconnects, where our understanding
of the problem is very different from theirs.
And we had that discussion here today,
and we'll continue to work to close gaps
in our understanding and to work some kind of manner
in the future that removes these irritants.
But I would say for right now that's the whole purpose
for the dialogue that we held here today,
and we will be holding more in the future.
- [Heather] Thank you, everyone.
- [Rex] Thank you.

Mattis, Tillerson Seem To Contradict Trump On China - Full News Conference

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