A dysfunctional US Congress finally got its act together and approved a $7bn funding package for three Pacific nations. After years of negotiations and more recently, months of delay by US lawmakers, Congress late Friday cleared the way for the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Palau to renew the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa) agreements that fund critical services for the next two decades, and keep open a special migration pathway to the US. In return, the American military secures exclusive access to vast north Pacific territories and…
Tag: Pacific islands
Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister heads to Tuvalu to cement ties with Pacific ally
Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister has embarked on a visit to diplomatic ally Tuvalu, officials said, after the Pacific island nation’s new government affirmed its “special” relationship with Taipei. Tien Chung-kwang left for the visit on Monday as a special envoy for president Tsai Ing-wen to congratulate and show support for Tuvalu’s new government, said foreign ministry official Eric Chen. Tien will attend celebrations for the new government and meet top officials including new prime minister Feleti Teo to discuss bilateral cooperation before returning on Saturday, Chen said on Tuesday. The…
US funding delays hurt the Pacific – but there are bigger worries | Terence Wesley-Smith and Gerard Finin
A delay by the US in providing crucial funding to Pacific Island nations is fuelling concern in the region – but questions about the competing visions held by the US and regional leaders are even more pressing. The funding is part of longstanding agreements the US has with three nations in the north Pacific, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Marshall Islands and Palau. The agreements, known as the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa), provide a range of assistance to these nations, including visa-free entry to the US, grant…
Congress ‘gradually destroying’ US relations with Pacific ally, Marshall Islands president warns
Hilda Heine, the president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, has warned relations with the US are “gradually being destroyed by party politics” as Congress delays approval of crucial funding for the Pacific nation. US lawmakers have not yet passed funding packages agreed in 2023 with the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), in a move some argue is opening the door to China to build its influence in the Pacific region. “Members of the Congress have to understand that the funds that the US…
Tuvalu names Feleti Teo prime minister after pro-Taiwan leader Kausea Natano ousted
Lawmakers in Tuvalu have selected Feleti Teo as the Pacific island nation’s new prime minister, weeks after an election that put ties with Taiwan in focus. Former attorney general Teo secured the support of lawmakers who were elected last month, government secretary Tufoua Panapa told AFP on Monday. There has been speculation that Tuvalu, one of just 12 states that still formally recognise Taiwan, could consider establishing relations with Beijing. Pacific observers will be looking to see whether Teo calls for a policy rethink. Teo’s elevation to prime minister comes…
Culture, democracy and clout: why three Pacific countries are sticking with Taiwan
As a king tide swept through Tuvalu this month, flooding homes and disrupting local sea routes, changes in political currents were also buffeting the country. The wild weather delayed a key meeting between newly elected members of parliament to determine the successor to Tuvalu’s prime minister Kausea Natano, who lost his seat in January’s elections. The new prime minister will need to tackle pressing domestic issues and also wider regional concerns, namely its role in the geopolitical tussle for influence in the Pacific. Natano had been staunch in his government’s…
Papua New Guinea’s PM to address Australian parliament as Pacific security race with China builds
Australia will roll out the red carpet to the visiting Papua New Guinea prime minister, James Marape, amid efforts to stall China’s security talks with the Pacific country. Marape is due to arrive in Canberra on Wednesday before he addresses a joint sitting of the Australian parliament on Thursday – the first Pacific leader to be afforded this honour. Amid increasing competition for influence in the region, the Australian government will seek to build on the security agreement with PNG that Marape and Anthony Albanese signed just two months ago.…
Papua New Guinea in talks with China on security cooperation, foreign minister says
Papua New Guinea is in early talks with China on a potential security and policing deal, the country’s foreign minister Justin Tkachenko has told the Reuters news agency, weeks after deadly riots in the country’s capital. Amid jostling between Washington and Beijing for influence in the Pacific, the biggest Pacific Islands nation, Papua New Guinea (PNG), has previously said Australia and the United States are its security partners, while China is an important economic partner. China approached PNG in September with an offer to assist its police force with training,…
Tuvalu election: what’s happening, and what could it mean for Taiwan, China and the Pacific?
On Friday, the small Pacific island nation of Tuvalu will head to the polls to elect members of its 16-seat parliament. With the country’s population sitting at just over 11,000, Tuvalu’s elections rarely spark international headlines. But, against a backdrop of intense geopolitical competition and China’s rising influence in the region, greater scrutiny surrounds this year’s vote – and its outcome may have implications far beyond Tuvalu’s shores. What is happening? Candidates in Tuvalu are battling for one of the two seats in each of Tuvalu’s eight island electorates. Many…
Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of China
Nauru has switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China less than 48 hours after Taiwan’s presidential election. In a statement, the government of the tiny island country in Micronesia, north-east of Australia, said it had decided to recognise the People’s Republic of China and was seeking the resumption of full diplomatic relations “in the best interests of the Republic and people of Nauru”. The decision leaves Taiwan with just 12 formal diplomatic allies. A spokesperson for China’s ministry of foreign affairs said it “welcomed” the decision and that it would…