Biden calls up Pacific Island nations for serious talk
The planned event comes after Beijing struck a sweeping diplomatic and security deal with the Solomon Islands | US President Joe Biden is set to host a meeting of Pacific Island nations to deepen cooperation on security, climate change and a range of other issues, the White House said, vowing to ensure a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” ● The event, which officials dubbed the “first ever US-Pacific Island Country Summit,” will be held in Washington, DC on September 28 and 29, the White House announced on Friday.
💬 “The Summit will demonstrate the United States’ deep and enduring partnership with Pacific Island countries and the Pacific region that is underpinned by shared history, values, and people-to-people ties,” it said in a statement, adding that the meeting will “reflect our broadening and deepening cooperation on key issues such as climate change, pandemic response, economic recovery, maritime security, environmental protection, and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Though it is not yet clear which Pacific nations will attend the conference, the announcement comes amid efforts by Washington to boost ties with the region. In April, senior State Department officials visited the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, where they made a number of commitments, including vows to reopen the US embassy in the Solomons, and to “advance initiatives” on climate change and healthcare in the three countries.
How a tiny Pacific nation asserts its place between China and the US : The United States can’t take a hint when it comes to the Solomon Islands, which is asserting itself and its interests despite an aggressive American diplomatic offensive, conjured purely on the intent of opposing China. ● On Tuesday, the islands announced that they would be temporarily prohibiting all foreign navies from docking in their ports. Whilst this includes everyone, most media outlets reported it as explicitly targeting the US. ● That’s because the US has long flaunted a strategy of global maritime hegemony by saying it can essentially dock where it likes.