Schatz Presses Secretary Rubio On President Trump’s China Trip, Impact Of Iran War On Indo-Pacific

WASHINGTON - During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai'i) pressed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on sales of advanced technologies to China and concessions on Taiwan made during President Donald Trump's recent trip to China. Schatz also questioned Rubio about the impact of the Iran war on key Indo-Pacific allies and partners.

"It's pretty plain that the president violated one of the Six Assurances," said Senator Schatz. "He says, we discussed arms sales in great detail; it depends on China; it's a very good negotiating chip for us. It seems to me that if the main objective is to touch gloves and initiate conversations, then why give away any of the things that they're already seeking in exchange for essentially nothing? I just don't understand why we would want to sell them our second best chips and why we would start to at least complicate the question of our assurances regarding Taiwan?"

Senator Schatz added, "The Marshall Islands, the Philippines, and Tuvalu have declared a national emergency on their energy situation. South Korea says its energy crisis is a war-like situation. It is always the case that something in the Middle East undermines our ability to project power in the Asia-Pacific region. But it's not just a question of opportunity cost and attentional challenges. Now we're talking about our allies in the Asia-Pacific region really taking it on the chin with energy costs because of the Strait of Hormuz. What do we say to them: just hang in there?"

Video of Senator Schatz's exchange with Secretary Rubio is available here.

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