US expands aid mission to the Pacific amid China competition
The United States is expanding its aid mission to the Pacific as Washington steps up engagements with the island nations in response to Chinas growing influence. The US agency for international development said the latest show of commitment followed recent tours by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin . USAID administrator Samantha Power s visit to Papua New Guinea and Fiji this week came after several Chinese government officials visited the region in the past two years. On July 10, the Solomon Islands signed a police agreement with Beijing, 16 months after sealing a security pact including infrastructure and development assistance to host November's Pacific Games. The new policing implementation plan and comprehensive strategic partnership would allow Chinese police presence in Honiara until 2025. A week later, Chinas special envoy to the Pacific, Qian Bo, met with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, who is also chair of the Pacific Islands Forum. Qian said the visit was aimed at strengthening China's relations with the forum, to demonstrate Beijings commitment to addressing regional concerns and maintaining diplomatic ties. Blinken had visited Tonga, New Zealand and Australia, while Austin met with defence and security officials in PNG and Canberra. In Aotearoa, Blinken also met with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta to discuss security co-operation. French President Emmanuel Macron also travelled to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and PNG in July. Powers Pacific visit has coincided with China's navy hospital ship Peace Ark s Pacific tour providing medical care in Tonga, Kiribati and Vanuatu. The US navy hospital ship, Mercy , will dock in Honiara in November to provide medical care during the Pacific Games, the Solomons government said. USAID said Powers trip was an opportunity to listen to our partners and to discover how we can more effectively deliver on the priorities set by the Pacific Islanders. During a Pacific leaders' summit hosted by President Joe Biden in Washington last September, the US government outlined plans to boost its presence in the region amid tensions with China. Biden will host a second summit next month, the White House said. While the US admits it had neglected the Pacific for some years, its diminished diplomatic presence opened the door for the Chinese to expand their influence. In PNG, Power met with Prime Minister James Marape on Monday before launching USAID's country representative office in Port Moresby, which would also oversee the agencys programmes in the Solomons and Vanuatu. The former US envoy to the United Nations also announced US$5.2 million (K$18.97m) in new humanitarian assistance to support PNGs preparedness and response to ongoing volcanic activity. Other initiatives included US$1.2m to power solar mini-grids, and programmes and support to strengthen the response to HIV/AIDS in the Pacific nation. Marape said Powers presence affirms the commitment by President Bidens Administration that beyond diplomacy and defence, there is a development focus to complement PNGs aspirations. In Fiji, Power reopened the agency's regional mission, which will work with nine other Pacific island countries. She also addressed a conference of defence chiefs in Suva, jointly hosted by Fijis military and the US Indo-Pacific Command, underpinning US engagement in the region based on defence, diplomacy and development, USAID said in a statement. Fiji's government said while Pacific island nations hoped to benefit from the China-US competition , they were also critical of the gap between reality and the rhetoric of donors and multilateral financial institutions. Addressing the recent Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting in Suva, Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad said they were concerned particularly about insufficient financing for climate change and sea-level rise projects. Taking a swipe at the development partners, including New Zealand, Australia and the US, Prasad warned the Pacific was subject to a new era of geopolitics. Why is there a growing divide between what our development partners say and what they do? They say they are with us on our existential threat, but there is a disconnect between this and the resources that they offer on the table. Why is there a disconnect between what multilateral banks and global funds say and what they do? Pacific Islands Forum leaders will meet in the Cook Islands in November to discuss climate change, lack of progress in sustainable development, growing vulnerabilities in the region and China, among other things.