Spurred on by Chinese interest in the region, the United States will increase funding and establish two new embassies in the Pacific as it expands its presence on the blue continent.
On Wednesday, US Vice President Kamala Harris will virtually address members of the Pacific Islands Forum and announce new messages in Kiribati and Tonga.
Veteran Pacific watchers have labeled the move as unprecedented, especially given reports that China has been blocked from attending this week’s leaders’ summit in Fiji.
The region’s relationship with the two world powers is a hot topic in Suva as China and the US compete for influence.
Anthony Albanese (right) will meet with pacific leaders in Suva, Fiji on Wednesday for the Pacific Islands Forum
Kamala Harris (pictured right with US President Joe Biden) will address leaders virtually and announce new embassies in Kiribati and Tonga
The invitation, made by Fiji, host of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), is seen as a diplomatic coup for the US.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern welcomed the engagement, before adding backhander’s suggestion it was about time.
“They weren’t as present as in the past,” Mrs. Ardern said Tuesday from Nasinu, near Suva.
“At the behest of many in the region, (the US) is now trying to rejoin, to go back to the expectations that already exist in the region.
‘There has been a call for more involvement and you can see the response to that.’
The White House has released details about Ms. Harris’s address, including a series of offers for the region.
Along with the new embassies, the US will roughly triple what it pays Pacific countries for access to fisheries under the South Pacific Tuna Treaty, earning them about $600 million ($A893 million) over the next decade.
The US has pledged to create the first-ever “National Pacific Islands Strategy” to “give the Pacific Islands priority in US foreign policy,” and appoint an envoy to PIF.
The measures follow increased involvement of the Pacific from China.
The US’s announcement of two new embassies and an increase in funding in the Pacific comes amid growing China’s interest in the region (pictured, Chinese warships arrive for a ship parade in Russia)
The region’s relationship with the two global superpowers is a hot topic in Suva as China and the US compete for influence (pictured, Chinese soldiers sit atop mobile rocket launchers as they ride in a parade)
Already this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has toured the Pacific and signed a series of bilateral agreements, including a security agreement with the Solomon Islands covering Australia and New Zealand.
A broader multilateral framework was rejected by Pacific countries in a rejection of Beijing’s assertive diplomacy.
Analysts think China may be behind Kiribati’s departure from PIF. It withdrew from the forum over the weekend, blaming a lack of support for Micronesia.
Beijing has denied Kiribati’s departure, with a Foreign Ministry spokesman calling the allegations “completely baseless.”
“China does not interfere in the internal affairs of the Pacific countries (PICs) and hopes for greater solidarity and closer cooperation among PICs for common development,” Wang Wenbin said.
Secretary of State Penny Wong (pictured) said the US invitation was “a matter for the forum and the chairman,” and she was not aware of Chinese requests for similar engagement
As the battle of superpowers unfolds in one of the world’s least developed regions, Ms Ardern said the “more contentious environment” in the Pacific brings opportunities but also concerns.
“China is … a development partner that has been around the Pacific for decades, but it certainly increases their activity and changes the way they engage,” she said.
“There are elements of that, particularly when it comes to the region’s security arrangements, that worry us.”
“We don’t want the militarization of our region.”
Australian Foreign Secretary Penny Wong said in Suva ahead of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s arrival on Wednesday that the US invitation was “a matter for the forum and the chairman” and that she was unaware of Chinese requests for similar involvement.
‘Fiji sets the agenda. Fiji and the Secretary General are looking at how the forum should be managed,” she said.