US&nbsp;military strikes against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons are a warning to other nations, including North Korea, that &quot;a response is likely&quot; if they pose a danger, US&nbsp;Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday.

As a US&nbsp;Navy strike group headed toward the Korean Peninsula, Tillerson said China agrees that action is necessary to address North Korea&#39;s nuclear arsenal, following last week&#39;s meeting between US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Asked if Friday&#39;s strikes against Syria were a message to North Korea, Tillerson told ABC&#39;s This Week: &quot;The message that any nation can take is, &#39;If you violate international norms, if you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken.&#39;&quot;

&quot;In terms of North Korea,&quot; he added, &quot;we&#39;ve been very clear that our objective is a denuclearized Korea peninsula.&quot;

In a separate interview, Tillerson told CBS&#39; Face the Nation: &quot;President Xi clearly understands, and I think agrees, that the situation has intensified and has reached a certain level of threat that action has to be taken&quot;.

Trump will soon review options for removing the &quot;threat&quot; posed by North Korean missiles, White House national security adviser HR&nbsp;McMaster said on Sunday.

North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, have repeatedly indicated an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be coming, possibly as soon as April 15, the 105th birthday of North Korea&#39;s founding president and celebrated annually as &quot;the Day of the Sun&quot;.

Reuters was first to report on Saturday that the Navy strike group Carl Vinson, whose flagship is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of that name, will make its way toward the Korean peninsula from Singapore as a show of force after Pyongyang tested a liquid-fueled Scud missile this month.

&quot;It&#39;s prudent to do it, isn&#39;t it?&quot; McMaster said of the deployment on Fox News Sunday.

&quot;This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear-capable regime, and President Xi and President Trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,&quot; he said.

A US&nbsp;national security review of options on North Korea include economic and military measures. But they lean more toward sanctions and increased pressure on Beijing to rein in its neighbour.

(Reuters)

'A response is likely' if nuclear-armed states like North Korea pose a danger, said the US?Secretary of State

US military strikes against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons are a warning to other nations, including North Korea, that "a response is likely" if they pose a danger, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday. As a US Navy strike group headed toward the Korean Peninsula, Tillerson said China agrees that action is necessary to address North Korea's nuclear arsenal, following last week's meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Asked if Friday's strikes against Syria were a message to North Korea, Tillerson told ABC's This Week: "The message that any nation can take is, 'If you violate international norms, if you violate international agreements, if you fail to live up to commitments, if you become a threat to others, at some point a response is likely to be undertaken.'" "In terms of North Korea," he added, "we've been very clear that our objective is a denuclearized Korea peninsula." In a separate interview, Tillerson told CBS' Face the Nation: "President Xi clearly understands, and I think agrees, that the situation has intensified and has reached a certain level of threat that action has to be taken". Trump will soon review options for removing the "threat" posed by North Korean missiles, White House national security adviser HR McMaster said on Sunday. North Korean officials, including leader Kim Jong Un, have repeatedly indicated an intercontinental ballistic missile test or something similar could be coming, possibly as soon as April 15, the 105th birthday of North Korea's founding president and celebrated annually as "the Day of the Sun". Reuters was first to report on Saturday that the Navy strike group Carl Vinson, whose flagship is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of that name, will make its way toward the Korean peninsula from Singapore as a show of force after Pyongyang tested a liquid-fueled Scud missile this month. "It's prudent to do it, isn't it?" McMaster said of the deployment on Fox News Sunday. "This is a rogue regime that is now a nuclear-capable regime, and President Xi and President Trump agreed that that is unacceptable, that what must happen is the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said. A US national security review of options on North Korea include economic and military measures. But they lean more toward sanctions and increased pressure on Beijing to rein in its neighbour. (Reuters)

Tillerson: Syria strike a message to others, including North Korea

The FBI possesses information indicating&nbsp;associates of US President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the divulging of information damaging to Hillary Clinton&#39;s presidential campaign, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/us-officials-info-suggests-trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians/index.html" target="_blank">CNN </a>reports, citing US officials.

One source told CNN that this is what FBI Director James Comey alluded to when he announced on Monday that not only was the FBI investigating Russian interference in the US election, but the Trump campaign&#39;s ties to Russia.

The information the FBI is now reviewing, CNN reports citing those US officials, includes: human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings.

US officials told CNN this information intelligence was not taken from the leaked dossier of unverified compiled by Christopher Steele, who was hired by Trump&#39;s opponents (first Republicans, then by Democrats), though that dossier also suggested there was coordination between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign.

These officials have cautioned that the investigation is ongoing and that the information was not conclusive, though it has raised the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence that &quot;coordination&quot; may have taken place.

&quot;Coordination&quot; is a term Comey described during the Monday&#39;s House Intelligence hearing: He made a distinction between two parties actively working together, and one party manipulating a second party into advancing the first party&#39;s interests without them knowing.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Background: Is there anything else&nbsp;to suggest links between Trump and Russia?

Two days after the US election, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/moscow-had-contacts-with-trump-team-during-campaign-russian-diplomat-says/2016/11/10/28fb82fa-a73d-11e6-9bd6-184ab22d218e_story.html?utm_term=.30420cbf06da" target="_blank">Washington Post</a> reported&nbsp;Russian officials saying they &quot;conferred&quot;&nbsp;with the Trump campaign, saying &quot;there were contacts&quot;, during the election.

&quot;Obviously we know most of the people from his entourage,&quot; said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Trump spokesman Hope Hicks said the campaign&nbsp;had &quot;no contact with Russian officials&quot;.

&nbsp;

Yesterday, an <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-22/urgent-manafort-s-plan-to-greatly-benefit-the-putin-government" target="_blank">Associated Press</a> report&nbsp;claimed that Paul Manafort, Trump&#39;s election campaign manager for 143 days, signed a $10 million anual contract&nbsp;in 2006 from a Russian billionaire&nbsp;to advance Russian president&nbsp;Vladimir Putin&#39;s interests.

Manafort <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/paul-manafort-resigns-from-trump-campaign-227197" target="_blank">stepped down</a> from Trump&#39;s campaign after it became known that he lobbied for the pro-Putin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort denies he is&nbsp;linked to Russia.

&nbsp;

As <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/former-trump-advisor-admits-to-innocuous-private-contact-with-russian-dnc-hacker-during-election-13270">WION </a>wrote on March 11, then-Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has&nbsp;admitted to having direct contact with both Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and the hacker who hacked the Democrats&#39; emails during the US election Guccifer 2.0, who US intelligence says is really just a front for the Russian military intelligence agency.

On Monday&#39;s <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/03/20/1645393/-Comey-confirms-that-Russia-used-WikiLeaks-which-Trump-loves-to-release-hacked-information" target="_blank">hearing</a>, FBI Director James Comey said that the Russians hacked the Democrats and used &quot;cutouts&quot;...&quot;to cover up that they were the ones releasing&quot; the stolen information.

Roger Stone <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/20/politics/kfile-roger-stone-wikileaks-claims/" target="_blank">appeared </a>to have advanced knowledge of the contents of the emails WikiLeaks possessed before they were made public. Roger Stone has denied there was anything illegal or improper in this communication.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wikileaks?src=hash">#Wikileaks</a>.
&mdash; Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerJStoneJr/status/782443074874138624">October 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The first time WikiLeaks published Democrat campaign chief John Podesta&#39;s hacked emails came about&nbsp;two hours after the recording of Donald Trump saying he grabbed women &quot;<a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/10/7/13205842/trump-secret-recording-women" target="_blank">by the p*ssy</a>&quot;.

Afterwards, Trump praised WikiLeaks and continued throughout the election to use&nbsp;Podesta&#39;s hacked emails&nbsp;to cudgel Clinton.

During the third presidential debate, Donald Trump spoke directly to Russia, encouraging them to hack his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton, saying: &quot;Russia, if you&#39;re listening, I hope you&#39;re able to find the 30,000 [Democrat] emails that are missing.&quot;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gNa2B5zHfbQ" width="560"></iframe>

Trump&#39;s pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of the world&#39;s largest publicly traded&nbsp;international oil and gas company ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the &quot;Order of frienship&quot; from Vladimir Putin, given to &quot;reward foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people&quot;. Despite having one of the most sought after jobs in politics anywhere Tillerson has no prior experience in politics.&nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ft.com/content/79fecace-0ee2-11e7-b030-768954394623" target="_blank">report </a>yesterday said Tillerson was &quot;stunned&quot; when he was approached for the job, as he was preparing for retirement.

Several members of Trump&#39;s campaign and White House administration have had contacts with Russian officials&nbsp;and lied about it, including: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any Trump-Russia probe after meeting Russian ambassador to the US Sergey&nbsp;Kislyak at least three times despite saying under oath he had never met any Russian officials;&nbsp;National Security Adviser Gen Michael Flynn, who had to resign after he was recorded discussing American sanctions against Russia with Ambassador Kislyak&nbsp;and lying about it, even to Vice President Mike Pence; Carter Page, and JD Gordon.

<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-russian-ambassador-sergey-kislyak-meeting-election-campaign-a7617261.html">Donald Trump</a> himself met with Kislyak, and has both denied and admitted to having a relationship with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCFgYzf4DV4" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin.</a>

(WION)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

US officials say this after FBI Director Comey announced that the US president is under formal investigation for his links to Russia

The FBI possesses information indicating associates of US President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the divulging of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, CNN reports, citing US officials. One source told CNN that this is what FBI Director James Comey alluded to when he announced on Monday that not only was the FBI investigating Russian interference in the US election, but the Trump campaign's ties to Russia. The information the FBI is now reviewing, CNN reports citing those US officials, includes: human intelligence, travel, business and phone records and accounts of in-person meetings. US officials told CNN this information intelligence was not taken from the leaked dossier of unverified compiled by Christopher Steele, who was hired by Trump's opponents (first Republicans, then by Democrats), though that dossier also suggested there was coordination between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign. These officials have cautioned that the investigation is ongoing and that the information was not conclusive, though it has raised the suspicions of FBI counterintelligence that "coordination" may have taken place. "Coordination" is a term Comey described during the Monday's House Intelligence hearing: He made a distinction between two parties actively working together, and one party manipulating a second party into advancing the first party's interests without them knowing. Background: Is there anything else to suggest links between Trump and Russia? Two days after the US election, the Washington Post reported Russian officials saying they "conferred" with the Trump campaign, saying "there were contacts", during the election. "Obviously we know most of the people from his entourage," said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Trump spokesman Hope Hicks said the campaign had "no contact with Russian officials". Yesterday, an Associated Press report claimed that Paul Manafort, Trump's election campaign manager for 143 days, signed a $10 million anual contract in 2006 from a Russian billionaire to advance Russian president Vladimir Putin's interests. Manafort stepped down from Trump's campaign after it became known that he lobbied for the pro-Putin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort denies he is linked to Russia. As WION wrote on March 11, then-Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone has admitted to having direct contact with both Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and the hacker who hacked the Democrats' emails during the US election Guccifer 2.0, who US intelligence says is really just a front for the Russian military intelligence agency. On Monday's hearing, FBI Director James Comey said that the Russians hacked the Democrats and used "cutouts"..."to cover up that they were the ones releasing" the stolen information. Roger Stone appeared to have advanced knowledge of the contents of the emails WikiLeaks possessed before they were made public. Roger Stone has denied there was anything illegal or improper in this communication. Wednesday@HillaryClinton is done. #Wikileaks. — Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) October 2, 2016 × The first time WikiLeaks published Democrat campaign chief John Podesta's hacked emails came about two hours after the recording of Donald Trump saying he grabbed women "by the p*ssy". Afterwards, Trump praised WikiLeaks and continued throughout the election to use Podesta's hacked emails to cudgel Clinton. During the third presidential debate, Donald Trump spoke directly to Russia, encouraging them to hack his Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton, saying: "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 [Democrat] emails that are missing." Trump's pick for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of the world's largest publicly traded international oil and gas company ExxonMobil, was personally awarded the "Order of frienship" from Vladimir Putin, given to "reward foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people". Despite having one of the most sought after jobs in politics anywhere Tillerson has no prior experience in politics. A report yesterday said Tillerson was "stunned" when he was approached for the job, as he was preparing for retirement. Several members of Trump's campaign and White House administration have had contacts with Russian officials and lied about it, including: Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had to recuse himself from any Trump-Russia probe after meeting Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak at least three times despite saying under oath he had never met any Russian officials; National Security Adviser Gen Michael Flynn, who had to resign after he was recorded discussing American sanctions against Russia with Ambassador Kislyak and lying about it, even to Vice President Mike Pence; Carter Page, and JD Gordon. Donald Trump himself met with Kislyak, and has both denied and admitted to having a relationship with Vladimir Putin. (WION)

New evidence suggests Trump associates may have coordinated with Russian officials: CNN

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson proposed new dates on Tuesday for a NATO meeting, the State Department said, after he initially decided to skip the talks and rebuffed the alliance`s efforts to reschedule them.

Tillerson&#39;s decision to miss his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers, set for April 5-6 in Brussels, unsettled European allies who worried it reopened questions about US President Donald Trump&#39;s commitment to the alliance.

Reuters exclusively reported on Monday that Tillerson would stay in the United States to attend Trump&#39;s expected April 6-7 talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida. US officials also said Tillerson would visit Russia later in April.

The alliance had offered to change the meeting dates so Tillerson could attend both it and the Xi talks but the US State Department rebuffed the idea, a former US official and a former NATO diplomat, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Monday.

On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the department put forward new dates for a meeting when Tillerson could come, noting that such a decision would have to be made by consensus among the 28 NATO members.

&quot;We are certainly appreciative of the effort to accommodate Secretary Tillerson,&quot; Toner told reporters. &quot;We have offered alternative dates that the secretary could attend.&quot;

He also sought to allay European concerns by saying that &quot;the United States remains 100 per cent committed to NATO.&quot;

It was not yet clear if the NATO meeting would be rescheduled to accommodate Tillerson.

During his election campaign and on the eve of taking office in January, Trump called the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation &quot;obsolete,&quot; although he has since said he strongly supports the alliance.

Unfortunate Symbolism

&quot;No matter how you spin it, this is unfortunate symbolism,&quot; said one senior European diplomat of Tillerson&#39;s plan to skip the April 5-6 NATO Brussels meeting, saying it undid the work of Trump&#39;s vice president and defence minister, who visited NATO headquarters in February to provide reassurances after Trump&#39;s criticism of the alliance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was in Washington on Tuesday. Posing for photographs with Defence Secretary James Mattis, he declined to answer a reporter`s questions on what signal it sent that Tillerson did not plan to attend the meeting, according to a reporter who attended the session.&nbsp;

Some allies, particularly in the former Soviet bloc, are acutely sensitive to any sign of waning US interest in their defence as they deal with a more assertive Russia.

Concerns that Trump is too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the West has sought to isolate for annexing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, made Tillerson&#39;s expected visit to Brussels all the more pressing, European allies said. 
&nbsp; 
Tillerson worked with Russia&#39;s government for years as a top executive at Exxon Mobil Corp, and has questioned sanctions against Moscow that he said could harm US businesses.

&quot;We needed to hear his vision for the alliance,&quot; said a diplomat due to attend the April ministerial meeting.

NATO&#39;s quarterly meetings are closed-door sessions over about two days in which governments discuss security strategies and approve top secret documents designed to guide the nuclear-armed alliance in areas ranging from training in Afghanistan to defences against Iranian missiles.

Given the US role as the de facto head of the alliance, it is rare for the country&#39;s top diplomat to miss a NATO meeting. The last time was during the Iraq war in 2003, when Colin Powell was forced to cancel at the last moment.

Trump himself is expected in Brussels for a NATO summit in May, although the date is still under discussion. NATO has proposed holding that meeting on May 25, a NATO diplomat said.

Several diplomats said they were unhappy that Tillerson had not offered to hold a NATO meeting in Washington later this week, given that most alliance foreign ministers and Stoltenberg will be there for a meeting of an international coalition against the Islamic State militant group.

A State Department spokeswoman said on Monday night that all NATO members except Croatia would be at those talks. On Tuesday, Toner said Croatia would in fact attend, saying the department had made &quot;a late night gaffe&quot; and adding, &quot;in no way do we want to diminish Croatia`s valuable role within the alliance.&quot;

(Reuters)

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson proposed new dates on Tuesday for a NATO meeting, the State Department said, after he initially decided to skip the talks and rebuffed the alliance`s efforts to reschedule them. Tillerson's decision to miss his first meeting with NATO foreign ministers, set for April 5-6 in Brussels, unsettled European allies who worried it reopened questions about US President Donald Trump's commitment to the alliance. Reuters exclusively reported on Monday that Tillerson would stay in the United States to attend Trump's expected April 6-7 talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida. US officials also said Tillerson would visit Russia later in April. The alliance had offered to change the meeting dates so Tillerson could attend both it and the Xi talks but the US State Department rebuffed the idea, a former US official and a former NATO diplomat, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Monday. On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the department put forward new dates for a meeting when Tillerson could come, noting that such a decision would have to be made by consensus among the 28 NATO members. "We are certainly appreciative of the effort to accommodate Secretary Tillerson," Toner told reporters. "We have offered alternative dates that the secretary could attend." He also sought to allay European concerns by saying that "the United States remains 100 per cent committed to NATO." It was not yet clear if the NATO meeting would be rescheduled to accommodate Tillerson. During his election campaign and on the eve of taking office in January, Trump called the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation "obsolete," although he has since said he strongly supports the alliance. Unfortunate Symbolism "No matter how you spin it, this is unfortunate symbolism," said one senior European diplomat of Tillerson's plan to skip the April 5-6 NATO Brussels meeting, saying it undid the work of Trump's vice president and defence minister, who visited NATO headquarters in February to provide reassurances after Trump's criticism of the alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was in Washington on Tuesday. Posing for photographs with Defence Secretary James Mattis, he declined to answer a reporter`s questions on what signal it sent that Tillerson did not plan to attend the meeting, according to a reporter who attended the session. Some allies, particularly in the former Soviet bloc, are acutely sensitive to any sign of waning US interest in their defence as they deal with a more assertive Russia. Concerns that Trump is too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the West has sought to isolate for annexing Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, made Tillerson's expected visit to Brussels all the more pressing, European allies said. Tillerson worked with Russia's government for years as a top executive at Exxon Mobil Corp, and has questioned sanctions against Moscow that he said could harm US businesses. "We needed to hear his vision for the alliance," said a diplomat due to attend the April ministerial meeting. NATO's quarterly meetings are closed-door sessions over about two days in which governments discuss security strategies and approve top secret documents designed to guide the nuclear-armed alliance in areas ranging from training in Afghanistan to defences against Iranian missiles. Given the US role as the de facto head of the alliance, it is rare for the country's top diplomat to miss a NATO meeting. The last time was during the Iraq war in 2003, when Colin Powell was forced to cancel at the last moment. Trump himself is expected in Brussels for a NATO summit in May, although the date is still under discussion. NATO has proposed holding that meeting on May 25, a NATO diplomat said. Several diplomats said they were unhappy that Tillerson had not offered to hold a NATO meeting in Washington later this week, given that most alliance foreign ministers and Stoltenberg will be there for a meeting of an international coalition against the Islamic State militant group. A State Department spokeswoman said on Monday night that all NATO members except Croatia would be at those talks. On Tuesday, Toner said Croatia would in fact attend, saying the department had made "a late night gaffe" and adding, "in no way do we want to diminish Croatia`s valuable role within the alliance." (Reuters)

US Secretary of State Tillerson proposes new dates for NATO meeting

Indian Foreign Secretary S&nbsp;Jaishankar, presently on a US&nbsp;visit, said on Friday they have conveyed to the new administration that Indian partnership is important for the growing American economy to stay competitive.

When asked about discussion held with the Trump administration over the H1-B visa issue, the foreign secretary&nbsp;said the issue was discussed in a number of meetings with administration officials as well as the Congress.

During meetings, the Indian side conveyed that the H1-B&nbsp;was a category of trade and services which actually helps the American economy. 
 
&quot;If the Trump administration&#39;s intention is to bring back American companies to America and attract more foreign investment in America therefore there will be more growth then it is important that growing America remains competitive. So, there actually will be a growing need for this partnership,&quot; said Jaishankar during a conference at the Indian embassy in Washington DC.

He added, &quot;Of course in the US context it is seen as part of an immigration basket but what I would remind you is that the President himself in his address to the Congress referred to a merit based approach to this subject.&nbsp;We heard across the board a lot respect expressed for the Indian skills and Indians in the United States.

&quot;He said that the Indian side has certainly made its point quite forcefully both in the Congress and the administration and believes that it met with a degree of understanding.The Foreign Secretary held meetings with a number of senior US administration officials including Secretary of State Rex W Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John F &nbsp;Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt Gen HR McMaster, House speaker Paul Ryan along with meetings with senior member of the Congress.

Jaishankar said a wide range of issues were discussed during these meetings. The Foreign Secretary also interacted with American business through the US-India Business Council.

He added that overall it has been a very productive visit and that the new administration has a very positive view of India and there was a lot of interest in taking this relationship forward.He also mentioned that he extended an invitation to Tillerson and Ross to visit India at an early date, which they accepted in principal.

Jaishankar&#39;s&nbsp;four-day visit to the US&nbsp;aimed at sensitising the Trump administration over India&#39;s&nbsp;concerns over the security of Indian nationals in the US following a possible cut in H1-B and L-1 visas.

This is his second visit to the US&nbsp;since the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the US.

(ANI)

&nbsp;

S Jaishankar said Indian talent was vital for America if it wanted to remain competitive

Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, presently on a US visit, said on Friday they have conveyed to the new administration that Indian partnership is important for the growing American economy to stay competitive. When asked about discussion held with the Trump administration over the H1-B visa issue, the foreign secretary said the issue was discussed in a number of meetings with administration officials as well as the Congress. During meetings, the Indian side conveyed that the H1-B was a category of trade and services which actually helps the American economy. "If the Trump administration's intention is to bring back American companies to America and attract more foreign investment in America therefore there will be more growth then it is important that growing America remains competitive. So, there actually will be a growing need for this partnership," said Jaishankar during a conference at the Indian embassy in Washington DC. He added, "Of course in the US context it is seen as part of an immigration basket but what I would remind you is that the President himself in his address to the Congress referred to a merit based approach to this subject. We heard across the board a lot respect expressed for the Indian skills and Indians in the United States. "He said that the Indian side has certainly made its point quite forcefully both in the Congress and the administration and believes that it met with a degree of understanding.The Foreign Secretary held meetings with a number of senior US administration officials including Secretary of State Rex W Tillerson, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John F Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt Gen HR McMaster, House speaker Paul Ryan along with meetings with senior member of the Congress. Jaishankar said a wide range of issues were discussed during these meetings. The Foreign Secretary also interacted with American business through the US-India Business Council. He added that overall it has been a very productive visit and that the new administration has a very positive view of India and there was a lot of interest in taking this relationship forward.He also mentioned that he extended an invitation to Tillerson and Ross to visit India at an early date, which they accepted in principal. Jaishankar's four-day visit to the US aimed at sensitising the Trump administration over India's concerns over the security of Indian nationals in the US following a possible cut in H1-B and L-1 visas. This is his second visit to the US since the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the US. (ANI)

H1-B help American economy: Indian foreign secretary to Trump administration

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, presently on a visit to the United States, on Friday met Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.&nbsp;

Jaishankar said that various bilateral issues, including terrorism, Asia-Pacific and Afghanistan, were discussed in the meeting.&nbsp;

&quot;I would characterise our discussions this way. Obviously, a lot of focus was on US-India rather than other countries. But, we did discuss the global strategic landscape and exchanged ideas. In a sense, we are the continuity part of this relationship. In the meetings with the Secretary of the State, with the national security advisor, we discussed Asia-Pacific, Afghanistan. We discussed the challenge of terrorism,&quot; he said.

The Foreign Secretary also held meetings with a number of senior US administration officials including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John F Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt Gen H R McMaster, House speaker Paul Ryan along with meetings with senior member of the Congress.

A wide range of issues were discussed during these meetings, while keeping the focus on US-India relationship.

While responding to a poser on new targets and ambitions, Jaishankar said the current US administration looked interested in working with India in a number of areas.

&quot;At this time a lot of it was conceptual. On the economic basket, we saw a very strong interest in growing our trade, increase in investment, in finding various ways of cooperating with each other,&quot; he said.

The Foreign Secretary also interacted with American business through the US-India Business Council.

He added his visit had overall been very productive and the new administration had a very positive view of India. Jaishankar also said there was a lot of interest in taking the India-US&nbsp;relationship forward.&nbsp;

He also mentioned that he extended an invitation to Tillerson and Ross to visit India at an early date, which they accepted in principal.

Jaishankar&#39;s four-day visit to the US was aimed at sensitising the Trump administration about India&#39;s concerns over the security of Indian nationals in the US following a possible cut in H1B and L1 visas.

This is the Foreign Secretary&#39;s second visit to the US since the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the US.

(ANI)

Jaishankar said that various bilateral issues, including terrorism, Asia-Pacific and Afghanistan, were discussed in the meeting

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, presently on a visit to the United States, on Friday met Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Jaishankar said that various bilateral issues, including terrorism, Asia-Pacific and Afghanistan, were discussed in the meeting. "I would characterise our discussions this way. Obviously, a lot of focus was on US-India rather than other countries. But, we did discuss the global strategic landscape and exchanged ideas. In a sense, we are the continuity part of this relationship. In the meetings with the Secretary of the State, with the national security advisor, we discussed Asia-Pacific, Afghanistan. We discussed the challenge of terrorism," he said. The Foreign Secretary also held meetings with a number of senior US administration officials including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Homeland Security John F Kelly, National Security Advisor Lt Gen H R McMaster, House speaker Paul Ryan along with meetings with senior member of the Congress. A wide range of issues were discussed during these meetings, while keeping the focus on US-India relationship. While responding to a poser on new targets and ambitions, Jaishankar said the current US administration looked interested in working with India in a number of areas. "At this time a lot of it was conceptual. On the economic basket, we saw a very strong interest in growing our trade, increase in investment, in finding various ways of cooperating with each other," he said. The Foreign Secretary also interacted with American business through the US-India Business Council. He added his visit had overall been very productive and the new administration had a very positive view of India. Jaishankar also said there was a lot of interest in taking the India-US relationship forward. He also mentioned that he extended an invitation to Tillerson and Ross to visit India at an early date, which they accepted in principal. Jaishankar's four-day visit to the US was aimed at sensitising the Trump administration about India's concerns over the security of Indian nationals in the US following a possible cut in H1B and L1 visas. This is the Foreign Secretary's second visit to the US since the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the US. (ANI)

India's foreign secretary Jaishankar meets US secretary of state Tillerson

Mexico on Thursday gave a cool reception to visiting senior US officials, secretary of state Rex Tillerson and secretary of homeland security John Kelly, amid the deportation controversy.

Senior Mexican officials expressed &ldquo;worry and irritation&rdquo; about US policies while Trump&rsquo;s top envoys tried to cool tempers.

&quot;There exists among Mexicans worry and irritation about what are perceived to be policies that could be harmful for the national interest and for Mexicans here and abroad,&quot; foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told a news conference after talks with Tillerson and Kelly, news agency Reuters reported.

Videgaray added that it is &quot;a complex time&quot; for US-Mexican relations.

The already strained US-Mexico ties received another blow this week when the US government said it was seeking to deport many illegal immigrants to Mexico if they entered the US from there, regardless of their nationality.

The tensions over immigration come at a time when the two countries are already at loggerheads over Trump&rsquo;s vow to build a wall on the US-Mexico border and his attempts to get Mexico to give concessions on trade.

The two sides on Thursday pledged further dialogue on migration, security issues and trade, Reuters reported.

Kelly says no mass deportations or military force

Earlier on Thursday at the White House, Trump described the stepped-up deportation drive as &ldquo;a military operation&rdquo;, AFP reported.

&quot;We&rsquo;re getting really bad dudes out of this country, and at a rate that nobody&rsquo;s ever seen before,&quot; Trump said.

However, Kelly in Mexico contradicted Trump&rsquo;s statement by promising &quot;no mass deportations&quot; or military force against immigrants in the US.

&quot;There will be no, repeat no mass deportations&quot;, Kelly told a news conference in Mexico, AFP reported. &quot;There will be no use of military force for immigration operations.&quot;

Tillerson said the two sides &quot;reiterated our joint commitment to maintaining law and order along our shared border by stopping potential terrorists and dismantling the transnational criminal networks moving drugs and people into the United States.&quot;, AFP reported.

But he agreed that cooperation on border security had to work both ways.

&quot;We underscored the importance of stopping the illegal firearms and bulk cash that is originating in the United States and flowing into Mexico,&quot; he said, AFP reported.

&quot;There&#39;s no mistaking that the rule of law matters along both sides of the border.&quot;

While US officials said the trip was aimed at building positive relations, Trump said he was determined to reduce the $70 billion US trade deficit with Mexico even at the risk of harming ties.

&quot;We&rsquo;re going to have a good relationship with Mexico, I hope. And if we don&rsquo;t, we don&rsquo;t,&quot; he said, AFP reported.

Protest against envoys, Trump&#39;s &quot;wall&quot; set ablze at carnival

A group of protesters gathered outside Mexico&#39;s Ministry of Foreign Relations shouting slogans outside and holding banners that said &quot;The secretaries are not welcome,&quot; and &quot;Stop Donald Trump, Hate, Racism, Ignorance.&quot;

&quot;We delcare non gratis these secretaries of state (sic.), and we also declare non gratis Donald Trump for all the damage he has caused in the community, and continues causing,&quot;&nbsp;protester&nbsp;Maria Garcia told Reuters.

At the annual carnival of the Mexican city of Veracruz revellers burned &nbsp;an effigy representing Trump&#39;s proposed &quot;wall&quot;, Reuters reported. There was also a play parodying Trump with actors dressed as the president and his wife Melania.

&quot;It&#39;s like, we&#39;re rebelling against the United States. It&#39;s as if we are saying: &#39;Yes, we can.&#39; Because we Mexicans are better than United States,&quot; resident&nbsp;Luz Gutierrez told Reuters.

(WION with inputs from AFP and Reuters)

 
 
&nbsp;

Senior Mexican officials expressed 'worry and irritation' about US policies while Trump?s top envoys tried to cool tempers

Mexico on Thursday gave a cool reception to visiting senior US officials, secretary of state Rex Tillerson and secretary of homeland security John Kelly, amid the deportation controversy. Senior Mexican officials expressed “worry and irritation” about US policies while Trump’s top envoys tried to cool tempers. "There exists among Mexicans worry and irritation about what are perceived to be policies that could be harmful for the national interest and for Mexicans here and abroad," foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told a news conference after talks with Tillerson and Kelly, news agency Reuters reported. Videgaray added that it is "a complex time" for US-Mexican relations. The already strained US-Mexico ties received another blow this week when the US government said it was seeking to deport many illegal immigrants to Mexico if they entered the US from there, regardless of their nationality. The tensions over immigration come at a time when the two countries are already at loggerheads over Trump’s vow to build a wall on the US-Mexico border and his attempts to get Mexico to give concessions on trade. The two sides on Thursday pledged further dialogue on migration, security issues and trade, Reuters reported. Kelly says no mass deportations or military force Earlier on Thursday at the White House, Trump described the stepped-up deportation drive as “a military operation”, AFP reported. "We’re getting really bad dudes out of this country, and at a rate that nobody’s ever seen before," Trump said. However, Kelly in Mexico contradicted Trump’s statement by promising "no mass deportations" or military force against immigrants in the US. "There will be no, repeat no mass deportations", Kelly told a news conference in Mexico, AFP reported. "There will be no use of military force for immigration operations." Tillerson said the two sides "reiterated our joint commitment to maintaining law and order along our shared border by stopping potential terrorists and dismantling the transnational criminal networks moving drugs and people into the United States.", AFP reported. But he agreed that cooperation on border security had to work both ways. "We underscored the importance of stopping the illegal firearms and bulk cash that is originating in the United States and flowing into Mexico," he said, AFP reported. "There's no mistaking that the rule of law matters along both sides of the border." While US officials said the trip was aimed at building positive relations, Trump said he was determined to reduce the $70 billion US trade deficit with Mexico even at the risk of harming ties. "We’re going to have a good relationship with Mexico, I hope. And if we don’t, we don’t," he said, AFP reported. Protest against envoys, Trump's "wall" set ablze at carnival A group of protesters gathered outside Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Relations shouting slogans outside and holding banners that said "The secretaries are not welcome," and "Stop Donald Trump, Hate, Racism, Ignorance." "We delcare non gratis these secretaries of state (sic.), and we also declare non gratis Donald Trump for all the damage he has caused in the community, and continues causing," protester Maria Garcia told Reuters. At the annual carnival of the Mexican city of Veracruz revellers burned an effigy representing Trump's proposed "wall", Reuters reported. There was also a play parodying Trump with actors dressed as the president and his wife Melania. "It's like, we're rebelling against the United States. It's as if we are saying: 'Yes, we can.' Because we Mexicans are better than United States," resident Luz Gutierrez told Reuters. (WION with inputs from AFP and Reuters)

Trump's top officials in Mexico: Not a warm reception for Rex Tillerson and John Kelly

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday used his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to urge Beijing to help rein in North Korea after its series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

Trump however reaffirmed the position in a conciliatory phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping, mending fences enough for Wang to come to Bonn for a G20 foreign ministers meeting.

&quot;Secretary Tillerson and Minister Wang noted the recent call between leaders and discussed efforts to advance bilateral cooperation while addressing differences in a constructive manner,&quot; Mark Toner, acting US State Department spokesman, said.

&quot;Secretary Tillerson also highlighted the increasing threat posed by North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile programs and urged China to use all available tools to moderate North Korea&#39;s destabilising behaviour,&quot; Toner said.

China is North Korea&#39;s last major ally and has shown itself reluctant to put too much pressure on Pyongyang.

In the meantime, reclusive North Korea has made huge strides in both its missile and nuclear weapons programme to the point where it could acquire the capability to hit the US mainland.

Washington has led international efforts to get Pyongyang to reverse course, including imposing sanctions, but all to no avail as its regional allies take fright at North Korea&#39;s ambitions.

On Thursday, Tillerson pledged that Washington would use the full range of its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend Japan and South Korea against North Korea, which conducted another ballistic missile test on Sunday.

&quot;The United States remains steadfast in its defence commitments to its allies, the Republic of Korea and Japan, including the commitment to provide extended deterrence, backed by the full range of its nuclear and conventional defence capabilities,&quot; Tillerson said in a joint statement with their foreign ministers.

Washington&#39;s recent decision to install a sophisticated THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea especially angered China which condemned the move as a potential threat to its own security.&nbsp;

Global trade, protectionism&nbsp;

Toner said Tillerson and Yang &quot;also discussed the need to create a level playing field for trade and investment.&quot;

On the campaign trail, Trump regularly attacked China for stealing American jobs and running a massive, unfairly won trade surplus with the United States which he would reverse by whatever means necessary.

Chinese President Xi pointedly made a signature address to the Davos World Economic Forum in January to defend free trade and globalisation which he said were menaced by growing protectionist sentiment.

When the Chinese foreign ministry &nbsp;announced Wang&#39;s trip would go ahead, it said Beijing hoped the G20 gathering would &quot;send positive signals on supporting multilateralism, enhancing global governance and creating an innovative, interconnected, open and inclusive world economy.&quot;

Several of Trump&#39;s cabinet, including Tillerson, have also warned Beijing against throwing its weight about in the South China Sea, insisting the US would intervene if necessary to preserve international rights of navigation.

Although Washington severed ties with Taiwan in 1979, it has retained close links with Taipei, particularly in defence, and Beijing watches closely for any sign of US backsliding.

Taiwan has been ruled separately since Mao Zedong&#39;s communists ousted China&#39;s Nationalists who fled to the island in 1949.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

China is North Korea's last major ally and has shown itself reluctant to put too much pressure on Pyongyang

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday used his first meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to urge Beijing to help rein in North Korea after its series of nuclear and ballistic missile tests. Trump however reaffirmed the position in a conciliatory phone call to Chinese President Xi Jinping, mending fences enough for Wang to come to Bonn for a G20 foreign ministers meeting. "Secretary Tillerson and Minister Wang noted the recent call between leaders and discussed efforts to advance bilateral cooperation while addressing differences in a constructive manner," Mark Toner, acting US State Department spokesman, said. "Secretary Tillerson also highlighted the increasing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and urged China to use all available tools to moderate North Korea's destabilising behaviour," Toner said. China is North Korea's last major ally and has shown itself reluctant to put too much pressure on Pyongyang. In the meantime, reclusive North Korea has made huge strides in both its missile and nuclear weapons programme to the point where it could acquire the capability to hit the US mainland. Washington has led international efforts to get Pyongyang to reverse course, including imposing sanctions, but all to no avail as its regional allies take fright at North Korea's ambitions. On Thursday, Tillerson pledged that Washington would use the full range of its arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend Japan and South Korea against North Korea, which conducted another ballistic missile test on Sunday. "The United States remains steadfast in its defence commitments to its allies, the Republic of Korea and Japan, including the commitment to provide extended deterrence, backed by the full range of its nuclear and conventional defence capabilities," Tillerson said in a joint statement with their foreign ministers. Washington's recent decision to install a sophisticated THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea especially angered China which condemned the move as a potential threat to its own security. Global trade, protectionism Toner said Tillerson and Yang "also discussed the need to create a level playing field for trade and investment." On the campaign trail, Trump regularly attacked China for stealing American jobs and running a massive, unfairly won trade surplus with the United States which he would reverse by whatever means necessary. Chinese President Xi pointedly made a signature address to the Davos World Economic Forum in January to defend free trade and globalisation which he said were menaced by growing protectionist sentiment. When the Chinese foreign ministry announced Wang's trip would go ahead, it said Beijing hoped the G20 gathering would "send positive signals on supporting multilateralism, enhancing global governance and creating an innovative, interconnected, open and inclusive world economy." Several of Trump's cabinet, including Tillerson, have also warned Beijing against throwing its weight about in the South China Sea, insisting the US would intervene if necessary to preserve international rights of navigation. Although Washington severed ties with Taiwan in 1979, it has retained close links with Taipei, particularly in defence, and Beijing watches closely for any sign of US backsliding. Taiwan has been ruled separately since Mao Zedong's communists ousted China's Nationalists who fled to the island in 1949. (AFP)

US wants China to moderate North Korea's 'destabilising behaviour'

The US Senate confirmed former ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as the next secretary of state Wednesday, handing a major boost to President Donald Trump as he builds his cabinet.

Tillerson was confirmed by a vote of 56 to 43, with four Democrats ultimately joining all 52 Republicans voting in favour.

Trump has repeatedly blasted Democrats for dragging out the confirmation process, and took to Twitter late Monday to accuse them of &quot;delaying my cabinet picks for purely political reasons&quot;.

Tillerson, 64, had come in for severe criticism from Democrats who warned that his business approach and lack of government experience would hurt America`s standing in the world.

But Republicans rallied around the nominee, after initial hesitation by Senators John McCain, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham about Tillerson`s ties with Russia and his position on human rights.

&quot;Mr Tillerson led a global enterprise with 75,000 employees, possesses deep relationships around the world, and understands the critical role of US leadership,&quot; Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said in a statement.

&quot;He has expressed a commitment to defend American values and to restore US credibility by strengthening old alliances and building new ones.&quot;

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin backed Tillerson, saying he will bring a &quot;unique perspective to the State Department&quot; and provide &quot;wise counsel and objective advice to the president on our nation`s foreign policy&quot;.

With Tillerson`s confirmation and pending swearing-in, Trump will have several key members of his national security team in place, including Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, CIA Director Mike Pompeo and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.

(AFP)

Tillerson was confirmed by a vote of 56 to 43, with four Democrats ultimately joining all 52 Republicans voting in favour

The US Senate confirmed former ExxonMobil chief Rex Tillerson as the next secretary of state Wednesday, handing a major boost to President Donald Trump as he builds his cabinet. Tillerson was confirmed by a vote of 56 to 43, with four Democrats ultimately joining all 52 Republicans voting in favour. Trump has repeatedly blasted Democrats for dragging out the confirmation process, and took to Twitter late Monday to accuse them of "delaying my cabinet picks for purely political reasons". Tillerson, 64, had come in for severe criticism from Democrats who warned that his business approach and lack of government experience would hurt America`s standing in the world. But Republicans rallied around the nominee, after initial hesitation by Senators John McCain, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham about Tillerson`s ties with Russia and his position on human rights. "Mr Tillerson led a global enterprise with 75,000 employees, possesses deep relationships around the world, and understands the critical role of US leadership," Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said in a statement. "He has expressed a commitment to defend American values and to restore US credibility by strengthening old alliances and building new ones." Democratic Senator Joe Manchin backed Tillerson, saying he will bring a "unique perspective to the State Department" and provide "wise counsel and objective advice to the president on our nation`s foreign policy". With Tillerson`s confirmation and pending swearing-in, Trump will have several key members of his national security team in place, including Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, CIA Director Mike Pompeo and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. (AFP)

Rex Tillerson confirmed as secretary of state by US Senate

China said on Tuesday it had &quot;irrefutable&quot; sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea after the White House vowed to defend &quot;international territories&quot; in the strategic waterway.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer in his comments on Monday signalled a sharp departure from years of cautious US handling of China&#39;s assertive pursuit of territorial claims in Asia.

&quot;The US is going to make sure that we protect our interests there,&quot; Spicer said when asked if Trump agreed with comments by his secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson. On January 11, Tillerson said China should not be allowed access to islands it has built in the contested South China Sea.

&quot;It&#39;s a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we&#39;re going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country,&quot; Spicer said.&nbsp;

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing on Tuesday &quot;the United States is not a party to the South China Sea dispute&quot;.&nbsp;

China claims most of the South China Sea, while Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei claims parts of the sea that commands strategic sea lanes and has rich fishing grounds along with oil and gas deposits.&nbsp;China&#39;s sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea was &quot;irrefutable&quot; Hua said.&nbsp;

But China was also dedicated to protecting freedom of navigation and wants talks with nations directly involved to find a peaceful solution.&nbsp;

&quot;We urge the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously to avoid harming the peace and stability of the South China Sea,&quot; Hua said.

&quot;Our actions in the South China Sea are reasonable and fair. No matter what changes happen in other countries, what they say or what they want to do, China&#39;s resolve to protect its sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea will not change,&quot; she added.

Tillerson&#39;s remarks at his Senate confirmation hearing prompted Chinese state media to say at the time that the United States would need to &quot;wage war&quot; to bar China`s access to the islands, where it has built military-length air strips and installed weapons systems.

Tillerson was asked at the hearing whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China and said: &quot;We&#39;re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.&quot;&nbsp;

The former Exxon Mobil Corp chairman and chief executive did not elaborate on what might be done to deny China access to the islands.&nbsp;

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White House spokesman Sean Spicer in his comments signalled a sharp departure from years of cautious US handling of China&#39;s assertive pursuit of territorial claims in Asia (WION)
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But analysts said his comments, like those of Spicer, suggested the possibility of US military action, or even a naval blockade. Such action would risk an armed confrontation with China, an increasingly formidable nuclear-armed military power. It is also the world&#39;s second-largest economy and the target of Trump accusations it is stealing American jobs.

Spicer declined to elaborate when asked how the United States could enforce such a move against China, except to say: &quot;I think, as we develop further, we&#39;ll have more information on it.&quot;

Military experts said that while the US Navy has extensive capabilities in Asia to stage blockading operations with ships, submarines and planes, any such move against China&#39;s growing naval fleets would risk a dangerous escalation.&nbsp;Aides have said that Trump plans a major naval build-up in East Asia to counter China&#39;s rise.

China&#39;s foreign ministry said earlier this month it could not guess what Tillerson meant by his remarks, which came after Trump questioned Washington&#39;s longstanding and highly sensitive &quot;One-China&quot; policy over Taiwan.

Washington-based South China Sea expert Mira Rapp-Hooper at the Center for a New American Security called the threats to bar China&#39;s access in the South China Sea &quot;incredible&quot; and said it had no basis in international law.

&quot;A blockade - which is what would be required to actually bar access - is an act of war,&quot; she added.&nbsp;

&quot;The Trump administration has begun to draw red lines in Asia that they will almost certainly not be able to uphold, but they may nonetheless be very destabilising to the relationship with China, invite crises, and convince the rest of the world that the United States is an unreliable partner.&quot;

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

China reacted after Rex Tillerson said the US would need to 'wage war' to bar China's access to the islands

China said on Tuesday it had "irrefutable" sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea after the White House vowed to defend "international territories" in the strategic waterway. White House spokesman Sean Spicer in his comments on Monday signalled a sharp departure from years of cautious US handling of China's assertive pursuit of territorial claims in Asia. "The US is going to make sure that we protect our interests there," Spicer said when asked if Trump agreed with comments by his secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson. On January 11, Tillerson said China should not be allowed access to islands it has built in the contested South China Sea. "It's a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then yeah, we're going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country," Spicer said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing on Tuesday "the United States is not a party to the South China Sea dispute". China claims most of the South China Sea, while Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei claims parts of the sea that commands strategic sea lanes and has rich fishing grounds along with oil and gas deposits. China's sovereignty over the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea was "irrefutable" Hua said. But China was also dedicated to protecting freedom of navigation and wants talks with nations directly involved to find a peaceful solution. "We urge the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously to avoid harming the peace and stability of the South China Sea," Hua said. "Our actions in the South China Sea are reasonable and fair. No matter what changes happen in other countries, what they say or what they want to do, China's resolve to protect its sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea will not change," she added. Tillerson's remarks at his Senate confirmation hearing prompted Chinese state media to say at the time that the United States would need to "wage war" to bar China`s access to the islands, where it has built military-length air strips and installed weapons systems. Tillerson was asked at the hearing whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China and said: "We're going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed." The former Exxon Mobil Corp chairman and chief executive did not elaborate on what might be done to deny China access to the islands. White House spokesman Sean Spicer in his comments signalled a sharp departure from years of cautious US handling of China's assertive pursuit of territorial claims in Asia (WION) × But analysts said his comments, like those of Spicer, suggested the possibility of US military action, or even a naval blockade. Such action would risk an armed confrontation with China, an increasingly formidable nuclear-armed military power. It is also the world's second-largest economy and the target of Trump accusations it is stealing American jobs. Spicer declined to elaborate when asked how the United States could enforce such a move against China, except to say: "I think, as we develop further, we'll have more information on it." Military experts said that while the US Navy has extensive capabilities in Asia to stage blockading operations with ships, submarines and planes, any such move against China's growing naval fleets would risk a dangerous escalation. Aides have said that Trump plans a major naval build-up in East Asia to counter China's rise. China's foreign ministry said earlier this month it could not guess what Tillerson meant by his remarks, which came after Trump questioned Washington's longstanding and highly sensitive "One-China" policy over Taiwan. Washington-based South China Sea expert Mira Rapp-Hooper at the Center for a New American Security called the threats to bar China's access in the South China Sea "incredible" and said it had no basis in international law. "A blockade - which is what would be required to actually bar access - is an act of war," she added. "The Trump administration has begun to draw red lines in Asia that they will almost certainly not be able to uphold, but they may nonetheless be very destabilising to the relationship with China, invite crises, and convince the rest of the world that the United States is an unreliable partner." (Reuters)

US should avoid harming peace and stability of South China Sea, warns China

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp&nbsp;Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, narrowly won approval from a Senate committee on Monday but is expected to win confirmation from the full Senate.

The US&nbsp;Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 11-10 to approve Tillerson, with every committee Republican backing Tillerson and every Democrat opposing his nomination. His backing by the committee had been in doubt until earlier on Monday, when Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a committee member, said he planned to back Tillerson.

His confirmation vote in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold a 52-seat majority, is not expected before next week.

Rubio said he was troubled by Tillerson&#39;s comments during his confirmation hearing regarding Russia as well as other countries, but that he ultimately decided he would vote to approve the nominee in deference to Trump, as well as to fill a critical top job.

Democrats who voted against Tillerson said their concerns included fears that he might move to lift sanctions on Russia, where he did business for years as an Exxon executive, questions about his views on human rights and unhappiness that he would not promise to recuse himself from matters related to Exxon during his entire term as the top US&nbsp;diplomat.

Tillerson said during his hearing that he would recuse himself only for the one year required by law. Tillerson also angered some lawmakers during the hearing by saying he did not know that Exxon Mobil had lobbied against Russian sanctions while he was running the company.

John McCain was among the Republicans who voted for Tillerson.&nbsp;Earlier this week the Republican senator said he was&nbsp;&quot;very cautious&quot; about his decision to vote for Tilerson, but said he was reassured after talking with him about Russia and what his job was as secretary of state, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mccain-graham-will-vote-yes-tillerson-despite-skepticism-n710551">ABC reports.</a>

&quot;Listen, this wasn&#39;t an easy call, but I believe when there&#39;s doubt, the incoming president gets the benefit of the doubt,&quot;McCain said.

Earlier in January McCain vowed to fight for stronger sanctions against Russia, and appeared to be locked in a war against Trump, as it was he who <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/10/fbi-chief-given-dossier-by-john-mccain-alleging-secret-trump-russia-contacts">passed the&nbsp;dossier </a>to FBI director James Comey, alleging Trump has secret contacts with Russia. &quot;He and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals,&quot; the dossier claimed.&nbsp;

It also alleged: &quot;FSB has compromised Trump through his activities in Moscow sufficiently to be able to blackmail him.&quot; Putin called this claim a &quot;complete fabrication and utter nonsense&quot;.

Senator Ben Cardin, the committee&#39;s ranking Democrat, said Tillerson&#39;s &quot;business orientation&quot; and responses at his hearing &quot;could compromise his ability as secretary of state to forcefully promote the values and ideals that have defined our country and our leading role in the world for more than 200 years.&quot;

(With inputs from Reuters)

Every Democrat opposed Trump's controversial choice, worried over Tillerson's views on human rights and his relations with Russia

US President Donald Trump's choice for secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil Corp Chief Executive Officer Rex Tillerson, narrowly won approval from a Senate committee on Monday but is expected to win confirmation from the full Senate. The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 11-10 to approve Tillerson, with every committee Republican backing Tillerson and every Democrat opposing his nomination. His backing by the committee had been in doubt until earlier on Monday, when Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a committee member, said he planned to back Tillerson. His confirmation vote in the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold a 52-seat majority, is not expected before next week. Rubio said he was troubled by Tillerson's comments during his confirmation hearing regarding Russia as well as other countries, but that he ultimately decided he would vote to approve the nominee in deference to Trump, as well as to fill a critical top job. Democrats who voted against Tillerson said their concerns included fears that he might move to lift sanctions on Russia, where he did business for years as an Exxon executive, questions about his views on human rights and unhappiness that he would not promise to recuse himself from matters related to Exxon during his entire term as the top US diplomat. Tillerson said during his hearing that he would recuse himself only for the one year required by law. Tillerson also angered some lawmakers during the hearing by saying he did not know that Exxon Mobil had lobbied against Russian sanctions while he was running the company. John McCain was among the Republicans who voted for Tillerson. Earlier this week the Republican senator said he was "very cautious" about his decision to vote for Tilerson, but said he was reassured after talking with him about Russia and what his job was as secretary of state, ABC reports. "Listen, this wasn't an easy call, but I believe when there's doubt, the incoming president gets the benefit of the doubt,"McCain said. Earlier in January McCain vowed to fight for stronger sanctions against Russia, and appeared to be locked in a war against Trump, as it was he who passed the dossier to FBI director James Comey, alleging Trump has secret contacts with Russia. "He and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals," the dossier claimed. It also alleged: "FSB has compromised Trump through his activities in Moscow sufficiently to be able to blackmail him." Putin called this claim a "complete fabrication and utter nonsense". Senator Ben Cardin, the committee's ranking Democrat, said Tillerson's "business orientation" and responses at his hearing "could compromise his ability as secretary of state to forcefully promote the values and ideals that have defined our country and our leading role in the world for more than 200 years." (With inputs from Reuters)

Trump's pick for state secretary Rex Tillerson narrowly approved by Senate committee

Blocking Chinese access to islands in the South China Sea would require the US&nbsp;to &quot;wage war&quot;, an influential Chinese state-run tabloid said on Friday, after US&nbsp;Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson suggested the strategy on Wednesday.

Tillerson told his confirmation hearing before the US&nbsp;Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he wanted to send a signal to China that their access to islands in the disputed South China Sea &quot;is not going to be allowed&quot;. He did not elaborate.

The United States would have to &quot;wage a large-scale war&quot; in the South China sea to prevent Chinese access to the islands, the Global Times said in an English-language editorial.

The paper, which is known for writing strongly-worded, hawkish and nationalist editorials, is published by the ruling Communist Party&#39;s flagship paper. It does not reflect Chinese policy.

&quot;Tillerson had better bone up on nuclear power strategies if he wants to force a big nuclear power to withdraw from its own territories,&quot; the paper added.

The editorial also said that Tillerson, an Exxon Mobil Corp chairman and former chief executive, was the most likely of US president-elect Donald Trump&#39;s cabinet picks to be vetoed by congress.

&quot;It is suspected that he merely wanted to curry favour from senators and increase his chances of being confirmed by intentionally showing a tough stance toward China,&quot; it said. The paper did not elaborate on either point.

A similar article was also carried in the paper&#39;s Chinese-language website that receives thousands of hits every day.

There are also legal questions of any US&nbsp;attempt to block China&#39;s access, the editorial said, asking if this might mean that Vietnam and Philippines also should be denied entry.

China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

The United States has previously called on China to respect the findings of the arbitration court in The Hague earlier this year which ruled in favour of the Philippines, rejecting China&#39;s territorial claims in the strategic waterway.

Democratic President Barack Obama&rsquo;s administration conducted periodic air and naval patrols to assert the right of free navigation in the South China Sea. These have angered Beijing, but seeking to blockade China&#39;s man-made islands would be a major step further and a step that Washington has never raised as an option.

(Reuters)

US secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson suggested China should be barred from South China Sea islands

Blocking Chinese access to islands in the South China Sea would require the US to "wage war", an influential Chinese state-run tabloid said on Friday, after US Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson suggested the strategy on Wednesday. Tillerson told his confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he wanted to send a signal to China that their access to islands in the disputed South China Sea "is not going to be allowed". He did not elaborate. The United States would have to "wage a large-scale war" in the South China sea to prevent Chinese access to the islands, the Global Times said in an English-language editorial. The paper, which is known for writing strongly-worded, hawkish and nationalist editorials, is published by the ruling Communist Party's flagship paper. It does not reflect Chinese policy. "Tillerson had better bone up on nuclear power strategies if he wants to force a big nuclear power to withdraw from its own territories," the paper added. The editorial also said that Tillerson, an Exxon Mobil Corp chairman and former chief executive, was the most likely of US president-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks to be vetoed by congress. "It is suspected that he merely wanted to curry favour from senators and increase his chances of being confirmed by intentionally showing a tough stance toward China," it said. The paper did not elaborate on either point. A similar article was also carried in the paper's Chinese-language website that receives thousands of hits every day. There are also legal questions of any US attempt to block China's access, the editorial said, asking if this might mean that Vietnam and Philippines also should be denied entry. China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. The United States has previously called on China to respect the findings of the arbitration court in The Hague earlier this year which ruled in favour of the Philippines, rejecting China's territorial claims in the strategic waterway. Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration conducted periodic air and naval patrols to assert the right of free navigation in the South China Sea. These have angered Beijing, but seeking to blockade China's man-made islands would be a major step further and a step that Washington has never raised as an option. (Reuters)

Chinese state-run tabloid says US needs to 'wage war' to block off South China Sea islands

China said on Thursday that it has the right to carry out &quot;normal activities&quot; in its sovereign territory, after US President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s nominee for secretary of state said China should be barred from the South China Sea islands.

Rex Tillerson told his confirmation hearing on Wednesday (Janaury 11) before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China&#39;s building of islands and putting military assets on those islands was &quot;akin to Russia&#39;s taking Crimea&quot; from Ukraine.

Asked whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China, he said: &quot;We&#39;re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.&quot;

When asked repeatedly about Tillerson&#39;s comments on blocking access to islands, China&#39;s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he couldn&#39;t make any guesses as to what Tillerson was referring to and would not answer hypothetical questions.

China&#39;s right to carry out &#39;normal activities&#39; in its sovereign territory in the South China Sea is &#39;indisputable&#39;, Lu spoke at a daily briefing on Thursday.

&quot;We hope the countries outside the region can respect this consensus that in line with the common interests of regional countries and the world,&quot; Lu added.

The former Exxon Mobil Corp chairman and chief executive did not elaborate on what might be done to deny China access to the islands it has built up from South China Sea reefs, equipped with military-length airstrips and fortified with weapons.

Trump&#39;s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for specifics on how China might be blocked from the artificial islands.

China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

(Reuters)

Rex Tillerson said China's building of islands on those islands was "akin to Russia's taking Crimea" from Ukraine

China said on Thursday that it has the right to carry out "normal activities" in its sovereign territory, after US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state said China should be barred from the South China Sea islands. Rex Tillerson told his confirmation hearing on Wednesday (Janaury 11) before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China's building of islands and putting military assets on those islands was "akin to Russia's taking Crimea" from Ukraine. Asked whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China, he said: "We're going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed." When asked repeatedly about Tillerson's comments on blocking access to islands, China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he couldn't make any guesses as to what Tillerson was referring to and would not answer hypothetical questions. China's right to carry out 'normal activities' in its sovereign territory in the South China Sea is 'indisputable', Lu spoke at a daily briefing on Thursday. "We hope the countries outside the region can respect this consensus that in line with the common interests of regional countries and the world," Lu added. The former Exxon Mobil Corp chairman and chief executive did not elaborate on what might be done to deny China access to the islands it has built up from South China Sea reefs, equipped with military-length airstrips and fortified with weapons. Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for specifics on how China might be blocked from the artificial islands. China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. (Reuters)

China defiant after Trump's secretary of state pick says it should be barred from South China Sea

The US has no plans to alter its One-China policy, but has made important commitments to Taiwan and needs to reaffirm them, Secretary of State nominee for the incoming Trump Administration has said.

&quot;I don&#39;t know of any plans to alter the one-China position,&quot; Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson told members of Senate Foreign Relations during his confirmation hearing for the position of Secretary of State yesterday. If confirmed, he would replace John Kerry as the Secretary of State.

However, Tillerson said the US had made important commitments to Taiwan through the Taiwan Relations Act, through the Six Issues Accord, and the country should express a reaffirmation of those.

&quot;Again, this is part of this approach that I&#39;m trying to lay out over and over, that we&#39;ve made commitments to people. We need to reaffirm those commitments and live up to those commitments, and I think it&#39;s important that Taiwan knows that we are going to live up to the commitments under the Relations Act and the Six Issues Accord,&quot; he said.

&quot;That in and of itself is a message, so I think the importance of that action to, again, this whole of China approach that I&#39;m speaking about, is we&#39;ve got to deal with the whole of China&#39;s actions and recognise that we have these balancing forces in our relationship that need to be dealt with,&quot; Tillerson said in response to a question.

(PTI)

Trump's incoming state secretary and former ExxonMobil CEO said the US has no plans to alter China relations, but made overtures to Taiwan

The US has no plans to alter its One-China policy, but has made important commitments to Taiwan and needs to reaffirm them, Secretary of State nominee for the incoming Trump Administration has said. "I don't know of any plans to alter the one-China position," Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson told members of Senate Foreign Relations during his confirmation hearing for the position of Secretary of State yesterday. If confirmed, he would replace John Kerry as the Secretary of State. However, Tillerson said the US had made important commitments to Taiwan through the Taiwan Relations Act, through the Six Issues Accord, and the country should express a reaffirmation of those. "Again, this is part of this approach that I'm trying to lay out over and over, that we've made commitments to people. We need to reaffirm those commitments and live up to those commitments, and I think it's important that Taiwan knows that we are going to live up to the commitments under the Relations Act and the Six Issues Accord," he said. "That in and of itself is a message, so I think the importance of that action to, again, this whole of China approach that I'm speaking about, is we've got to deal with the whole of China's actions and recognise that we have these balancing forces in our relationship that need to be dealt with," Tillerson said in response to a question. (PTI)

I don't know of any plans to alter the one-China position: Rex Tillerson

US Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson has indicated he may disagree from President-elect Donald Trump on the Paris climate agreement, saying America&#39;s interests are best served by maintaining a seat at the table so that it could also judge other countries&#39; commitment level.

&quot;Having a seat at the table to address this issue on a global basis and it is important that its 190 countries or there about have signed on to being to take action. I think we are better served by being at that table than leaving that table,&quot; Tillerson said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday.

&quot;I think it is important that the US maintain a seat at that table so that we can also judge the level of commitment of the other 189 or so countries that are around that table again, adjust our own course, accordingly,&quot; he said.

Tillerson&#39;s views on climate change differ significantly from those of Trump who had threatened to cancel the landmark Paris climate agreement in which more than 190 countries including India pledged to reduce carbon emissions.

&quot;As I have stated before in my statements around climate change and responses to it, that it will require a global response. And that countries that attempt to influence this by acting alone, are probably only harming themselves,&quot; Tillerson said, as he advocated staying inside the Paris agreement.

During his tenure as Exxon CEO, Tillerson had praised the Paris agreement last year, noting that addressing climate change &quot;requires broad-based practical solutions around the world&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Tillerson's views are at complete variance as he believes climate change requires 'practical solutions' to curb menace

US Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson has indicated he may disagree from President-elect Donald Trump on the Paris climate agreement, saying America's interests are best served by maintaining a seat at the table so that it could also judge other countries' commitment level. "Having a seat at the table to address this issue on a global basis and it is important that its 190 countries or there about have signed on to being to take action. I think we are better served by being at that table than leaving that table," Tillerson said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday. "I think it is important that the US maintain a seat at that table so that we can also judge the level of commitment of the other 189 or so countries that are around that table again, adjust our own course, accordingly," he said. Tillerson's views on climate change differ significantly from those of Trump who had threatened to cancel the landmark Paris climate agreement in which more than 190 countries including India pledged to reduce carbon emissions. "As I have stated before in my statements around climate change and responses to it, that it will require a global response. And that countries that attempt to influence this by acting alone, are probably only harming themselves," Tillerson said, as he advocated staying inside the Paris agreement. During his tenure as Exxon CEO, Tillerson had praised the Paris agreement last year, noting that addressing climate change "requires broad-based practical solutions around the world". (PTI)

Secretary of State nominee Tillerson differs with Trump on Paris climate pact

Rex Tillerson&#39;s confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee came in for a lot of questioning on Russia&#39;s involvement in the US presidential election and its role in Syria and Ukraine.&nbsp;

During the hearing, the secretary of state nominee has said that it is fair to assume that the Russian President Vladimir Putin was aware of Russian efforts to interfere in US presidential election, Reuters reported.

&quot;We must also be clear-eyed about our relationship with Russia. Russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests,&quot; Tillerson said during his confirmation hearing before the senate committee, PTI reported.

The former head of US oil major Exxon Mobil said, in his opening remarks, that Moscow should be held responsible for its actions.&nbsp;

&quot;It has invaded Ukraine, including the taking of Crimea, and supported Syrian forces that brutally violate the laws of war. Our NATO allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent Russia,&quot; he said adding a caveat, though, blaming the absence of US leadership because of which the door was left opened and unitended signals were left, according to a report in PTI.

The United States backtracked on commitments that it made to allies.&nbsp;

&quot;We sent weak or mixed signals with &#39;red lines&#39; that turned into green lights. We did not recognize that Russia does not think like we do,&quot; Tillerson said.

Last week, Trump was briefed by heads of US intelligence agencies on the Russian hacking scandal.

According to media reports, he was told that Russia had compromising information about him.

Trump has denied those reports.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The former head of US oil major Exxon Mobil said that Moscow should be held responsible for its actions

Rex Tillerson's confirmation hearing before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee came in for a lot of questioning on Russia's involvement in the US presidential election and its role in Syria and Ukraine. During the hearing, the secretary of state nominee has said that it is fair to assume that the Russian President Vladimir Putin was aware of Russian efforts to interfere in US presidential election, Reuters reported. "We must also be clear-eyed about our relationship with Russia. Russia today poses a danger, but it is not unpredictable in advancing its own interests," Tillerson said during his confirmation hearing before the senate committee, PTI reported. The former head of US oil major Exxon Mobil said, in his opening remarks, that Moscow should be held responsible for its actions. "It has invaded Ukraine, including the taking of Crimea, and supported Syrian forces that brutally violate the laws of war. Our NATO allies are right to be alarmed at a resurgent Russia," he said adding a caveat, though, blaming the absence of US leadership because of which the door was left opened and unitended signals were left, according to a report in PTI. The United States backtracked on commitments that it made to allies. "We sent weak or mixed signals with 'red lines' that turned into green lights. We did not recognize that Russia does not think like we do," Tillerson said. Last week, Trump was briefed by heads of US intelligence agencies on the Russian hacking scandal. According to media reports, he was told that Russia had compromising information about him. Trump has denied those reports. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump's secretary of state pick: Fair to assume Putin was aware of efforts to interfere in US presidential polls

Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson has agreed to sever all ties with ExxonMobil, putting deferred stock awards in an independently managed trust, the company he headed until last week said.

The agreement was reached in consultation with federal ethics regulators to comply with conflict of interest requirements, it said in a statement late Tuesday.

It is not immediately clear&nbsp;why Tillerson is required to formally sever all ties with his private business, while president-elect Donald Trump is aparently free not to.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-tweets-he-will-leave-business-never-says-he-will-sell-it-9533">Trump has so far refused to </a>sever his private business interests while serving in public office, saying via Twitter that instead he will give control of his business interests to his children, who are currently sitting in on official meetings with world leaders and are playing an active role on his transition team.

Trump was the first US presidential candidate in 40 years to conceal his tax return from the public. He pledged to release them, but said he was forbidden&nbsp;because his taxes&nbsp;were under audit by the IRS, who responded by saying&nbsp;that he was indeed under audit but was&nbsp;free to release them to the public. Then Trump pledged to release them if he won, and has so far still refused.&nbsp;His son, Donald Trump Jr,&nbsp;stated&nbsp;that his father didn&#39;t&nbsp;publicly release&nbsp;his&nbsp;tax returns&nbsp;because they were 12,000 pages <a href="http://time.com/money/4495037/donald-trump-release-tax-returns/">it would subject&nbsp;them&nbsp;to public scrutiny.</a>

Under the arrangement reached with ExxonMobil&#39;s board of directors, Tillerson will place the value of some two million company shares that he would have received over the next ten years in an independently managed trust.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-senator-mccain-has-concerns-about-tillerson-nomination-10714">Tillerson owned</a> $218 million in Exxon stock, a pension worth $70 million, and between 2012-2015 has had annual compensation packages worth between $28-40 million annually.

He will give up $4.1 million in cash bonuses that had been scheduled to be paid out over the next three years, as well as other benefits. &quot;The net effect of the agreement is a reduction of approximately $7 million in compensation owed to Tillerson,&quot; the company said in a statement.

Additionally, Tillerson has committed to selling the more than 600,000 Exxon shares he currently owns. The trust will not be permitted to hold Exxon stock, and Tillerson will be barred from working in the oil and gas industry for the next 10 years.

Despite making these concessions, it is unclear how Tillerson can keep&nbsp;his duties&nbsp;as Secretary of State separate from all the&nbsp;former industry colleagues and politicians he encountered as CEO of the world&#39;s largest private oil companies.

Tillerson, who was nominated last month to be President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s chief diplomat, retired December 31 after more than forty years at Exxon Mobil, the last ten years as CEO.

Tillerson is regarded as a controversial choice as secretary of state. He&nbsp;has only ever worked at ExxonMobil, and has no experience in politics. Democrats and Republicans have expressed concern over&nbsp;his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin personally awarded Tillerson with the Order of Friendship.

The FBI, CIA and the White House all have stated that they believe Putin interfered with the US election to help get Donald Trump elected.

Senior Republican senator John McCain, also the chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-senator-mccain-has-concerns-about-tillerson-nomination-10714">has called Putin a &quot;thug and a murderer&quot;, and has cast doubt on Tillerson&#39;s appointment.</a>

&quot;I and several of my colleagues have concerns about Mr Tillerson, and some of his past activities, specifically his relationship with Vladimir Putin,&quot; McCain told reporters on December 27.

Tillerson has also been criticised for deals struck on behalf of ExxonMobil that were at odds with US foreign policy. Tillerson criticised US sanctions against Russia after Putin invaded Crimea.

At the time, Exxon had discovered vast deposits of untapped oil in Russia. Oil and tax revenues fund&nbsp;half of Russia&#39;s budget, so this sanction badly affected Putin, while also preventing Exxon&nbsp;from making hundreds of millions of dollars, <a href="http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/14/13940866/trump-rex-tillerson-sanctions-russia">if not trillions</a>.

(With inputs from AFP)

Tillerson, the multimillionaire with suspicious links to Putin, pledged to do what Trump has not: separate public office from private profit

Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson has agreed to sever all ties with ExxonMobil, putting deferred stock awards in an independently managed trust, the company he headed until last week said. The agreement was reached in consultation with federal ethics regulators to comply with conflict of interest requirements, it said in a statement late Tuesday. It is not immediately clear why Tillerson is required to formally sever all ties with his private business, while president-elect Donald Trump is aparently free not to. Trump has so far refused to sever his private business interests while serving in public office, saying via Twitter that instead he will give control of his business interests to his children, who are currently sitting in on official meetings with world leaders and are playing an active role on his transition team. Trump was the first US presidential candidate in 40 years to conceal his tax return from the public. He pledged to release them, but said he was forbidden because his taxes were under audit by the IRS, who responded by saying that he was indeed under audit but was free to release them to the public. Then Trump pledged to release them if he won, and has so far still refused. His son, Donald Trump Jr, stated that his father didn't publicly release his tax returns because they were 12,000 pages it would subject them to public scrutiny. Under the arrangement reached with ExxonMobil's board of directors, Tillerson will place the value of some two million company shares that he would have received over the next ten years in an independently managed trust. Tillerson owned $218 million in Exxon stock, a pension worth $70 million, and between 2012-2015 has had annual compensation packages worth between $28-40 million annually. He will give up $4.1 million in cash bonuses that had been scheduled to be paid out over the next three years, as well as other benefits. "The net effect of the agreement is a reduction of approximately $7 million in compensation owed to Tillerson," the company said in a statement. Additionally, Tillerson has committed to selling the more than 600,000 Exxon shares he currently owns. The trust will not be permitted to hold Exxon stock, and Tillerson will be barred from working in the oil and gas industry for the next 10 years. Despite making these concessions, it is unclear how Tillerson can keep his duties as Secretary of State separate from all the former industry colleagues and politicians he encountered as CEO of the world's largest private oil companies. Tillerson, who was nominated last month to be President-elect Donald Trump's chief diplomat, retired December 31 after more than forty years at Exxon Mobil, the last ten years as CEO. Tillerson is regarded as a controversial choice as secretary of state. He has only ever worked at ExxonMobil, and has no experience in politics. Democrats and Republicans have expressed concern over his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin personally awarded Tillerson with the Order of Friendship. The FBI, CIA and the White House all have stated that they believe Putin interfered with the US election to help get Donald Trump elected. Senior Republican senator John McCain, also the chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, has called Putin a "thug and a murderer", and has cast doubt on Tillerson's appointment. "I and several of my colleagues have concerns about Mr Tillerson, and some of his past activities, specifically his relationship with Vladimir Putin," McCain told reporters on December 27. Tillerson has also been criticised for deals struck on behalf of ExxonMobil that were at odds with US foreign policy. Tillerson criticised US sanctions against Russia after Putin invaded Crimea. At the time, Exxon had discovered vast deposits of untapped oil in Russia. Oil and tax revenues fund half of Russia's budget, so this sanction badly affected Putin, while also preventing Exxon from making hundreds of millions of dollars, if not trillions. (With inputs from AFP)

Rex Tillerson pledges to sever Exxon ties before becoming US state secretary

Rex Tillerson was named in a tax haven leak as the long-time&nbsp;director of a Bahamas-based US-Russian oil company,<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/18/leak-rex-tillerson-director-bahamas-based-us-russian-oil-company"> The Guardian</a> reports.

Tillerson is currently the chief executive of ExxonMobil, but&nbsp;in 1998 he became the director of their Russian subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas, The Guardian reports. His name, &quot;RW&quot;, appears next to officers based at Houston, Texas, in Moscow, and in the far east of Russia in Sakhalin.

The leaked document comes from the corporate registry in the Bahamas,&nbsp;one of the 1.3 million files given to the German newspaper S<a data-link-name="in body link" draggable="true" href="http://www.sueddeutsche.de/">&uuml;</a>ddeutsche Zeitung by an anonymous source, The Guardian reports.

There&#39;s nothing illegal about Tillerson&#39;s previous appointment, but it raises questions over his&nbsp;Russian ties, and is just one more major thing connecting Donald Trump to Russia.&nbsp;

Exxon Mobil is the world&#39;s largest oil company, and for years have been looking towards Russia&#39;s vast deposits of natural resources.

&nbsp;

Conflict of Interest?

On Sunday, Exxon said Tillerson was no longer the director of Exxon Neftegas after becoming CEO in 2006, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;But he has since been linked to&nbsp;Russia in other ways.

Vladimir Putin&nbsp;awarded Tillerson the Russian Order of Friendship in 2013, and is close with Igor Sechin, who The Guardian characterises as&nbsp;a &quot;hardliner&quot; and&nbsp;ex-KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti--the&nbsp;secret police in the former Soviet Union) member who is the second most powerful person inside the Kremlin.

In 2011, ExxonMobil and Russia&#39;s state oil company Rosneft made a deal to explore the Kara Sea in Russia&#39;s Arctic, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;

The deal was shelved due to the sanctions imposed after Russia annexed&nbsp;the eastern Ukrainian state of Crimea.&nbsp;American firms are banned from sharing technology related to the oil industry under the sanctions, and Exxon was suppsed to stop drilling, but the company pleaded successfully for the ban to be delayed by a few weeks, and in this time discovered 750 million barrels of new oil, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;

<aside data-component="rich-link" data-link-name="rich-link-3 | 2">
Tillerson criticised US government policy, saying in 2014 at Exxon&#39;s annual meeting that &quot;we do not support sanctions&quot;, The Guardian reports.

&nbsp;
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GjpGfjzheeo" width="560"></iframe>

&nbsp;

During the election, Trump expressed certainty,&nbsp;promising&nbsp;that Russia would never enter&nbsp;Crimea, seemingly unaware that it had already happened. Then Trump claimed without evidence&nbsp;that Crimeans prefer to be a part of Russia.

When asked this year by German reporter Mareike Aden whether Trump as president would recognise Crimea and lift sanctions imposed against Moscow, <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/07/trump-crimea/493280/">he responded</a> &quot;Yes. We would be looking at that&quot;.

Investors widely assume that the new Trump administration will drop sanctions, allowing the drilling deal between Exxon Mobil and Rosneft to continue, which is expected to increase the prices of Exxon shares by tens of billions of dollars, The Guardian reports.&nbsp;

They also report that Tillerson&#39;s currently owns $218 million worth of ExxonMobil stock, and has a pension valued at $70 million.

&nbsp;

Some of Trump&#39;s Russian ties

Donald Trump has called on Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton&#39;s emails. It is thought that no presidential candidate has ever openly called on a foreign country to sabotage&nbsp;a rival politician. Reuters cites two government sources as saying that&nbsp;American intelligence agencies--the CIA (central intelligence agencies)&nbsp;and FBI (federal bureau of investigation)--both agree that the Russian hacks were aimed at helping Trump win the election.

Trump complained loudly and repeatedly that the US election was rigged before he won it, but has since dismissed claims that his win was anything but pure. Trump has called the effort to ensure the election recount in different states &quot;<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/26/politics/clinton-campaign-recount/">a scam&quot;.</a>

While US policy under Obama has been to isolate Russia in response to invading Crimea and for supporting the Assad regime in Syria, Trump has<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/28/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-quotes/"> praised Putin for years</a>.

Trump has even defended Putin from the charge that the Russian president has ordered the killing of journalists, saying &quot;He&#39;s running his country, and at least he&#39;s a leader, unlike what we have in this country. I think our country does plenty of killing also...&quot;.

Currently, Russia ranks 180 out of 199 countries for press freedom, behind Iraq, the Demoratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, <a href="http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2016/jan/04/does-vladimir-putin-kill-journalists/">Politifact reports</a>. Since Putin was elected&nbsp;president in 2000, authorities raided a major television network&nbsp;and arrested the&nbsp;owner, Vladimir Gusinsky, for fraud, releasing him only after he agreed to sell his company&nbsp;to state media, Politifact reports.

As many as&nbsp;34&nbsp;journalists have been murdered in the country under Putin, Politifact reports. This number could be higher does not include journalists killed while reporting on something dangerous, like war or riots, or where the motives of the murder are unclear. In the same amount of time, three journalists were killed in the US.

<a href="http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2016/jan/04/does-vladimir-putin-kill-journalists/">Politifact quotes</a> Nina Ognianova, the coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists&#39; Europe and Central Asia program, who said journalists covering corruption, human rights abuses, organised crime and official wrongdoing can be &quot;slain with impunity in Putin&#39;s Russia&quot;.

Trump&#39;s decision to appoint Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, despite Tillerson&#39;s&nbsp;total lack of political experience, is only his&nbsp;latest&nbsp;Russian connection and will surely&nbsp;receive further scrutiny.

(WION)
&nbsp;

&nbsp;
</aside>

Rex Tillerson, non-partisan critics worry, has many serious ties to Russia. This latest connection only raises more questions

Rex Tillerson was named in a tax haven leak as the long-time director of a Bahamas-based US-Russian oil company, The Guardian reports. Tillerson is currently the chief executive of ExxonMobil, but in 1998 he became the director of their Russian subsidiary, Exxon Neftegas, The Guardian reports. His name, "RW", appears next to officers based at Houston, Texas, in Moscow, and in the far east of Russia in Sakhalin. The leaked document comes from the corporate registry in the Bahamas, one of the 1.3 million files given to the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung by an anonymous source, The Guardian reports. There's nothing illegal about Tillerson's previous appointment, but it raises questions over his Russian ties, and is just one more major thing connecting Donald Trump to Russia. Exxon Mobil is the world's largest oil company, and for years have been looking towards Russia's vast deposits of natural resources. Conflict of Interest? On Sunday, Exxon said Tillerson was no longer the director of Exxon Neftegas after becoming CEO in 2006, The Guardian reports. But he has since been linked to Russia in other ways. Vladimir Putin awarded Tillerson the Russian Order of Friendship in 2013, and is close with Igor Sechin, who The Guardian characterises as a "hardliner" and ex-KGB (Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti--the secret police in the former Soviet Union) member who is the second most powerful person inside the Kremlin. In 2011, ExxonMobil and Russia's state oil company Rosneft made a deal to explore the Kara Sea in Russia's Arctic, The Guardian reports. The deal was shelved due to the sanctions imposed after Russia annexed the eastern Ukrainian state of Crimea. American firms are banned from sharing technology related to the oil industry under the sanctions, and Exxon was suppsed to stop drilling, but the company pleaded successfully for the ban to be delayed by a few weeks, and in this time discovered 750 million barrels of new oil, The Guardian reports. Tillerson criticised US government policy, saying in 2014 at Exxon's annual meeting that "we do not support sanctions", The Guardian reports. During the election, Trump expressed certainty, promising that Russia would never enter Crimea, seemingly unaware that it had already happened. Then Trump claimed without evidence that Crimeans prefer to be a part of Russia. When asked this year by German reporter Mareike Aden whether Trump as president would recognise Crimea and lift sanctions imposed against Moscow, he responded "Yes. We would be looking at that". Investors widely assume that the new Trump administration will drop sanctions, allowing the drilling deal between Exxon Mobil and Rosneft to continue, which is expected to increase the prices of Exxon shares by tens of billions of dollars, The Guardian reports. They also report that Tillerson's currently owns $218 million worth of ExxonMobil stock, and has a pension valued at $70 million. Some of Trump's Russian ties Donald Trump has called on Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton's emails. It is thought that no presidential candidate has ever openly called on a foreign country to sabotage a rival politician. Reuters cites two government sources as saying that American intelligence agencies--the CIA (central intelligence agencies) and FBI (federal bureau of investigation)--both agree that the Russian hacks were aimed at helping Trump win the election. Trump complained loudly and repeatedly that the US election was rigged before he won it, but has since dismissed claims that his win was anything but pure. Trump has called the effort to ensure the election recount in different states "a scam". While US policy under Obama has been to isolate Russia in response to invading Crimea and for supporting the Assad regime in Syria, Trump has praised Putin for years. Trump has even defended Putin from the charge that the Russian president has ordered the killing of journalists, saying "He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country. I think our country does plenty of killing also...". Currently, Russia ranks 180 out of 199 countries for press freedom, behind Iraq, the Demoratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, Politifact reports. Since Putin was elected president in 2000, authorities raided a major television network and arrested the owner, Vladimir Gusinsky, for fraud, releasing him only after he agreed to sell his company to state media, Politifact reports. As many as 34 journalists have been murdered in the country under Putin, Politifact reports. This number could be higher does not include journalists killed while reporting on something dangerous, like war or riots, or where the motives of the murder are unclear. In the same amount of time, three journalists were killed in the US. Politifact quotes Nina Ognianova, the coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists' Europe and Central Asia program, who said journalists covering corruption, human rights abuses, organised crime and official wrongdoing can be "slain with impunity in Putin's Russia". Trump's decision to appoint Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, despite Tillerson's total lack of political experience, is only his latest Russian connection and will surely receive further scrutiny. (WION)

Trump's State Secretary pick directed US-Russian oil company, leak reveals

Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson was chosen as the new US Secretary of State by President-elect Donald Trump, a nomination that could face intense scrutiny due to the veteran oil executive&#39;s close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

&quot;His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him (Tillerson) an excellent choice for Secretary of State,&quot; Trump said in the statement.

Like Trump, Tillerson, 64, has no formal foreign policy experience whatsoever, but has built close relationships with many world leaders by closing massive deals across Eurasia and the Middle East on behalf of the world&#39;s largest energy company.

Tillerson was originally a dark horse for the secretary of state nomination, but emerged from a lengthy public interview and vetting process that included better-known quantities like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee.

Trump has called Tillerson a &quot;world-class player&quot; and the transition team is likely to stress that his mastery of complex negotiations and knowledge of geopolitical factors shaping the oil industry are directly relevant to heading US diplomacy and managing the State Department.

Tillerson was recommended to Trump by former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and James Baker and former Secretary of Defence Bob Gates, CNN quoted sources as saying. Trump and Tillerson possess similar dealmaking business backgrounds and similar views of the world, sources said, and there was a level of comfort that Trump hadn&#39;t found with anyone else.

Tillerson&#39;s nomination could face intense scrutiny in the Senate, considering his years of work in Russia and the Middle East on behalf of the multinational petroleum company. Tillerson is considered one of the faces of Big Oil globally. In 2011, Exxon signed a deal with Russian oil giant Rosneft to provide access to oil resources in the Arctic. Rosneft&#39;s largest shareholder is the Russian government. Putin attended the Exxon signing ceremony and later awarded Tillerson the country&#39;s Order of Friendship.

(PTI)

Like Trump, Tillerson, 64, has no formal foreign policy experience whatsoever, but has built close relationships with many world leaders

Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson was chosen as the new US Secretary of State by President-elect Donald Trump, a nomination that could face intense scrutiny due to the veteran oil executive's close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him (Tillerson) an excellent choice for Secretary of State," Trump said in the statement. Like Trump, Tillerson, 64, has no formal foreign policy experience whatsoever, but has built close relationships with many world leaders by closing massive deals across Eurasia and the Middle East on behalf of the world's largest energy company. Tillerson was originally a dark horse for the secretary of state nomination, but emerged from a lengthy public interview and vetting process that included better-known quantities like former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. Trump has called Tillerson a "world-class player" and the transition team is likely to stress that his mastery of complex negotiations and knowledge of geopolitical factors shaping the oil industry are directly relevant to heading US diplomacy and managing the State Department. Tillerson was recommended to Trump by former secretaries of state Condoleezza Rice and James Baker and former Secretary of Defence Bob Gates, CNN quoted sources as saying. Trump and Tillerson possess similar dealmaking business backgrounds and similar views of the world, sources said, and there was a level of comfort that Trump hadn't found with anyone else. Tillerson's nomination could face intense scrutiny in the Senate, considering his years of work in Russia and the Middle East on behalf of the multinational petroleum company. Tillerson is considered one of the faces of Big Oil globally. In 2011, Exxon signed a deal with Russian oil giant Rosneft to provide access to oil resources in the Arctic. Rosneft's largest shareholder is the Russian government. Putin attended the Exxon signing ceremony and later awarded Tillerson the country's Order of Friendship. (PTI)

Trump appoints Exxon Mobil chief Rex Tillerson US state secretary

United States President-elect Donald Trump is likely to pick&nbsp;Exxon Mobil Corp CEO Rex Tillerson as his Secretary of State, according to media reports.

Tillerson&#39;s nomination will come under close scrutiny due to his close ties with Russia.

Although Tillerson is in the inside lane to become the next Secretary of State, transition officials said Trump is yet to make up his mind.

However, in a televised interview that is to be aired tonight, Trump said: &quot;&quot;He&#39;s more than a business executive; he&#39;s a world-class player. He&#39;s in charge of I guess the largest company in the world,&quot; Trump told Fox News according to the excerpts released yesterday. 
 
&quot;To me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players, and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive deals for the company not for himself, for the company,&quot; he added.

Already, two leading Republican hawks, Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have voiced concerns about Tillerson&#39;s serving as the nation&#39;s top diplomat because of his ties to Putin, the daily said. 
 
NBC News which first reported about it said that Tillerson would be joined by the former US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, as the Deputy Secretary of State, who would be responsible for the day to day management of the State Department. 
 
Tillerson met Trump at Trump Tower in New York City yesterday. He emerged as Trump&#39;s leading candidate for Secretary of State over 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and three other people. 
 
In a statement, the Democratic National Committee communications director Adam Hodge said Trump&#39;s &quot;outrageous pick&quot; of Tillerson to be Secretary of State demonstrates once again that he lied to the country about draining the swamp, and he&#39;s turning the government over to the same Wall Street bankers, Washington insiders and special interests he railed against during the campaign. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s also another victory for Vladimir Putin, who interfered in our election to help elect Trump and now has a close ally with no foreign policy experience serving as America&#39;s top diplomat,&quot; he said.

(With inputs from PTI)

Rex Tillerson's nomination could face intense scrutiny in the Senate due to the oil executive's close ties with Russia

United States President-elect Donald Trump is likely to pick Exxon Mobil Corp CEO Rex Tillerson as his Secretary of State, according to media reports. Tillerson's nomination will come under close scrutiny due to his close ties with Russia. Although Tillerson is in the inside lane to become the next Secretary of State, transition officials said Trump is yet to make up his mind. However, in a televised interview that is to be aired tonight, Trump said: ""He's more than a business executive; he's a world-class player. He's in charge of I guess the largest company in the world," Trump told Fox News according to the excerpts released yesterday. "To me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players, and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive deals for the company not for himself, for the company," he added. Already, two leading Republican hawks, Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have voiced concerns about Tillerson's serving as the nation's top diplomat because of his ties to Putin, the daily said. NBC News which first reported about it said that Tillerson would be joined by the former US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, as the Deputy Secretary of State, who would be responsible for the day to day management of the State Department. Tillerson met Trump at Trump Tower in New York City yesterday. He emerged as Trump's leading candidate for Secretary of State over 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and three other people. In a statement, the Democratic National Committee communications director Adam Hodge said Trump's "outrageous pick" of Tillerson to be Secretary of State demonstrates once again that he lied to the country about draining the swamp, and he's turning the government over to the same Wall Street bankers, Washington insiders and special interests he railed against during the campaign. "It's also another victory for Vladimir Putin, who interfered in our election to help elect Trump and now has a close ally with no foreign policy experience serving as America's top diplomat," he said. (With inputs from PTI)

Trump likely to pick Exxon Mobil CEO as Secretary of State

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