The United States will provide $210 million to Pacific island nations to help address issues ranging from climate change and maritime security to economic development as part of Washington’s latest push to counter Chinese activity in the region .
The aid pledged by the Biden administration follows a pledge of $600 million in economic aid for the next decade that US Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled in Fiji in July.
The announcement comes as the United States steps up diplomatic engagement with countries from Fiji to Papua New Guinea, as part of a new strategy for the region after China surprised the United States this year. by signing a security pact with the Solomon Islands.
Underscoring the increased engagement, US President Joe Biden will host an inaugural summit of Pacific Island leaders in Washington on Thursday.
China’s deal with the Solomon Islands underscored what experts have called a lack of attention in recent years from Washington and its Pacific allies, including Australia and New Zealand.
In recent months, several senior US officials, including Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have visited Pacific island nations. Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, also visited the region as part of a push from Canberra.
Charles Edel, a Pacific expert with the CSIS think tank, said the past year had served as a “wake-up call” in the United States to what he described as a critical need to increase engagement with the small island nations of the Pacific.
“This White House summit and other initiatives over the past six months have shown that the Biden administration understands the importance of engagement with Pacific island countries. But the real test will be whether Washington can sustain its commitment to the region over the long term,” Edel said.
The White House also released its first strategy for the region, the Pacific Partnership Strategy, which it said would strengthen ties through a “substantial increase in U.S. diplomatic presence and engagement.”
The United States said it would provide more than $130 million in investments and leverage an additional $400 million in private finance to help countries tackle climate change, which is an existential challenge in the region.
Washington will also provide several million dollars to improve US Coast Guard training and other efforts that will help countries improve maritime security and address threats, such as illegal fishing.
The United States plans to open a new embassy in the Solomon Islands and begin negotiations to open two more diplomatic missions in Tonga and Kiribati. He will also appoint an envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum, a major regional grouping, while the Peace Corps will relaunch programs to send volunteers to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu.
The White House also announced that the United States would also recognize the Cook Islands and Niue as sovereign states.
The new push comes months after the United States and its allies unveiled an initiative called Partners in Blue Pacific to help countries in the region avoid becoming too dependent on China.
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