The United States is increasing its efforts to strengthen the nation's diplomatic ties with Pacific Island countries in response to China's growing influence and presence in the area, Reuters is reporting.
The overtures, which include an invitation for regional leaders to visit the White House, were discussed by Kurt Campbell, White House Indo-Pacific coordinator, during a call to attendees of a U.S,-New Zealand business summit in Auckland May 2, Reuters reports. Many of the Pacific Island countries have had limited engagement with and no ambassadors from the U.S. in decades, according to Reuters.
“For the United States to be effective in the Pacific we must do more," Campbell said during the call according to Reuters, "and we must do more on areas that matter and are of significance to the Pacific Islanders."
Security concerns among the U.S. and its allies over China's involvement in the Pacific Islands were exacerbated when the Solomon Islands signed an agreement with Beijing last month. A leaked draft of the pact revealed provisions for Chinese law enforcement to help the Solomon Islands government keep social order in the event of civil unrest or natural disaster, and permission for Chinese naval vessels to refuel and restock in the Solomon Islands, according to Reuters. Protests erupted throughout the country in 2019 when the Solomon Islands changed China's diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing.
Campbell and other U.S. State Department officials traveled to the Solomon Islands in April to meet with officials to discuss their agreement with Beijing, State Newswire reported at the time. Prior to the signing, Micronesia President David Panuelo urged the Solomon Islands to "respectfully reject" agreeing to the pact with China, the Micronesia government announced in March.
"It is the view of the FSM National Government that such a novel and unprecedented security agreement between China and Solomon Islands poses a risk of increasing geopolitical tensions across the Blue Pacific Continent" Panuelo wrote in the letter. Panuelo referenced the bloody conflicts of World War II endured by island nations caught between warring Allied and Axis countries, writing "I am confident that neither of us wishes to see a conflict of that scope or scale ever again."
In its Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States, released in February, the Biden Administration acknowledged the Indo-Pacific region is "vital to our security and prosperity." Citing highlights of the two-century relationship between the U.S. and countries in the region, President Biden stated "(t)he passage of time has underscored the strategic necessity of the United States’ consistent role." Reinforcing the U.S.'s role in the Indo-Pacific will be an "historic challenge" requiring "unprecedented cooperation" between countries, the report states.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern agreed that the region was experiencing a growing level of assertiveness and aggression but didn't mention the cause of the tension, Reuters reports.
"I don't consider that we have an exposed flank when it comes to security arrangements for New Zealand," Ardern said during the summit, according to Reuters. "We have strong partnerships and relationships and we've seen this growing engagement in our region."
