Australia (Commonwealth Union) _ This week, President Joe Biden will attend a second meeting with leaders of Pacific Island nations as part of a charm drive by the United States to prevent additional Chinese incursions into a vital region that Washington has long regarded as its own backyard.
The United States will formally recognize two Pacific islands during the three-day summit, provide further funding for infrastructure, including for undersea cables to increase Internet connectivity, and honor regional leaders during an NFL game.
A year ago, the White House hosted inaugural summits with the islands, and in May, Biden was slated to meet with them once more in Papua New Guinea. That strategy was dropped when Biden was forced to cut short his trip to Asia because of the US debt ceiling problem.
During a summit with 14 Pacific island governments last year, the Biden administration pledged to support islanders in their fight against China’s “economic coercion.” The summit attendees’ united desire for an area where “democracy will be able to flourish” was stated in a joint declaration.
The White House declared that this year’s initiative would focus on urgent problems like preventing illegal fishing, improving public health, fostering economic growth, and fostering sustainable development. The Cook Islands and another tiny nation, Niue, will also receive official recognition from the United States during the meeting.
When the leaders arrive in Baltimore on Sunday, a Coast Guard cutter will be in the harbor, and the Commandant of the Coast Guard will brief them on the fight against illegal fishing, an official said.
The leaders will be present for Sunday’s football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts as well. Many NFL players are descended from Pacific Island countries. The Solomon Islands’ prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, won’t be at the summit despite his country’s strengthened ties with China. An influential Biden administration official claimed that the US was “disappointed” in Sogavare’s selection.
Washington doesn’t seem to have responded to the Solomon Islands’ pleas for more aid or considerable funding for infrastructure. During a visit to China in July, Sogavare announced a policing pact with Beijing that built on a security agreement reached the year before.
The United States would provide more than $810 million to larger aid programs for the Pacific islands, according to a 2022 White House announcement. Meg Keen, director of Pacific Island Programs at Australia’s Lowy Institute, pointed out that Congress has not yet approved the funds even though the United States has opened new embassies and USAID offices throughout the area since the summit last year.
She noted, “The Pacific Island countries welcome the U.S. re-engagement with the region, but don’t want geopolitical tussles to result in an intensification of militarism”. Sato Kilman, the prime minister of Vanuatu, won’t attend the summit either, according to his office.
Kilman was chosen by parliament to succeed Ishmael Kalsakau two weeks ago. Kalsakau was removed from office due to his actions, which included creating a security arrangement with Australia, a country that is an ally of the United States.
Despite ongoing talks to open an embassy there, Vanuatu, whose biggest foreign creditor is China, has not seen a significant increase in American involvement. China and Vanuatu last month established a partnership for law enforcement.
According to a top Biden administration official, the U.S. was on track to open the Vanuatu embassy by the beginning of the following year, and more Vanuatu representatives would be present at the summit.
Fiji commended the expanded American presence in the area for making the Pacific “more secure,” and Kiribati, one of the most remote Pacific island states, revealed plans to restore a derelict World War Two airstrip with Chinese assistance this year. Hawaii is 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to the southwest of Kiribati.
