US touts Pacific push as China gains influence
July 13, 2022
The United States has pledged to triple its funding to the Pacific region and open two new embassies as part of a push that follows China's political and economic inroads in the region.
In a virtual announcement to the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva, Fiji, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced the opening of "a new chapter" in diplomacy.
"The United States is a proud Pacific nation and has an enduring commitment to the Pacific islands, which is why President Joe Biden and I seek to strengthen our partnership with you,'' Harris said via video link on Wednesday.
"We recognize that in recent years the Pacific islands may not have received the diplomatic attention and support that you deserve," she added. "Today, I am here to tell you directly, we are going to change that."
The move comes after China signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands in Aprilthat shocked the US and Australia.
"It really shows the US are back and want to play an active role," Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. said after Harris' speech.
A multi-pronged approach
The United States will move to triple its financial aid to the Pacific to $600 million (€598 million) over the next decade, pending the approval of Congress. The funds will be earmarked for fisheries assistance, climate resilience and maritime security.
Harris also announced the intent to open two new embassies in the region — one in Kiribati and one in Tonga — as well as to appoint the first US envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum.
"We are very happy we are finally having a US presence in Tonga," the country's Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni told the AFP news agency. "It's a big milestone."
Harris stated that the Peace Corps volunteer service would return to the Pacific, and that USAID was planning to re-establish a regional mission in Suva.
China's inroads in the Pacific
The renewed focus from the US comes as observers warn that China's recent security pact with the Solomon Islands could lead to a Chinese naval base being established less than 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off the coast of key US ally Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also present in Suva for the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting, where he met with Solomon Islands' Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
"We are family and there are many issues, and that makes family stronger," Sogavare said after hugging Albanese.
Both the Solomon Islands and the tiny atoll nation of Kiribati recently shifted their diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to the People's Republic of China. Kiribati's subsequent withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum was seen as a sign of China's growing influence in the region.
However, the island nations of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu remain among the few countries that recognize Taipei and not Beijing.
zc/sms (AP, Reuters, AFP)