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The Latest Breaking News from Pacific islands

Pacific Islands solidarity is a Biden priority, U.S. diplomat tells Solomons

U.S. President Joe Biden sees strong ties with Pacific Island countries as a priority, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said in the Solomon Islands on Sunday, underscoring the stakes of her visit as tensions have been mounting in the region.

Reuters

Greens want to ‘improve and pass’ Labor’s climate bill but remain critical of 43% target

Adam Bandt says state of environment report and pressure from Pacific Islands leaders should be enough for Labor to negotiate on emissions

The Guardian - AU

The seas are rising on Pacific islands nations – but so is their powerful resistance

As the climate crisis threatens their existence, an assertive new collective are using their leverage as a flashpoint in geopolitical tensions

The Guardian - AU

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New Caledonia says it won't be 'trojan horse' for big powers in the Pacific

The pro-independence president of New Caledonia, a French overseas territory, said he didn't want New Caledonia to be used as a "trojan horse" in the Pacific islands, amid global power jostling for influence in the region.

Reuters

Pacific islands leaders commit to regional unity in face of superpower rivalry

Pacific island leaders have agreed to take a united approach as the United States and China vie for influence in the region, and to push developed nations for bolder action on climate change, which they say is the biggest threat they face.

Reuters

Pacific supports Aust on climate: Albanese

The Pacific Islands Forum has wrapped up after an all-day summit of leaders in Fiji, with Australian PM Anthony Albanese declaring the meeting a success.

AAP

US announces new embassies in major Pacific push as it jostles with China for influence in region

Vice-president Kamala Harris has announced postings in Kiribati and Tonga as leaders gather in Fiji for the Pacific Islands Forum

The Guardian - AU

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Seeds of strategic conflict sprouting in Pacific

China's rise is never far from the mind at the Pacific Islands Forum, as the US ramps up its diplomacy and regional leaders speak of growing geopolitical pressure.

Newsroom.co.nz

The Pacific faces a radioactive future

Japan plans to dump radioactive water from Fukushima into the Pacific Ocean, but its effects on Pacific nations are not clear, Robert H. Richmond writes as the Pacific Islands Forum meets.

Newsroom.co.nz

China influenced Kiribati exit from Pacific Islands Forum, MP claims

Opposition leader calls withdrawal from PIF an ‘extreme move’ and claims the reasons offered by Kiribati’s president were just excuses

The Guardian - AU

Special Report: Pacific primer

Not usually at the forefront of geopolitical argy-bargy, the Pacific has recently emerged as a strategic element of securing democracy. A rift threatened to tear apart normally unshakeable regional unity in 2021, with five Micronesian countries threatening to leave the most powerful transnational group, the Pacific Islands Forum. Ahead of…

360info

Keeping everyone in the tent: the Pacific Islands Forum remains whole

A last-minute agreement has avoided rupture in the Pacific Islands Forum. As the agreement was negotiated, regional strengths and vulnerabilities were revealed.

360info

Who’s willing to pay for sustainability in the Pacific?

After major setbacks to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Pacific needs fairer access to financing as it fights to overcome climate challenges

360info

Australia commits to Pacific islands defence training as China seeks rival meeting

Australia will establish a defence school to train Pacific island militaries, Canberra's new Pacific minister said, amid intensifying competition for security ties and as Beijing seeks to host a rival meeting to the main regional group, the Pacific Islands Forum, next month.

Reuters

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The Conversation

In the Solomon Islands, Wong takes first tentative steps in repairing a strained relationship

Foreign Minister Penny Wong was no doubt expecting a cooler reception than her three previous visits to the Pacific when she touched down in Honiara last Friday. The Solomon Islands government website had not even listed the Australian minister’s visit – but it did note the first visit of a…

The Conversation

Pacific islands: an unexpected new dimension to power struggles between US and China

The island states of the Pacific – from large Papua New Guinea to the smaller island state of Tuvalu – find themselves in a newly influential position as the west and China battle for their strategic backing.

Reuters

Australia's foreign minister Wong to travel to Solomon Islands amid concern over China security pact

Australia's foreign minister will travel to the Solomon Islands on Friday to meet with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare amid concern over the regional impact of a security deal between the Pacific islands nation and China.

ABC News

What does Beijing and Canberra's relationship tug-of-war in the region mean to Australia's Pacific Islander community?

China and Australia's diplomatic visits to the Pacific Islands have dominated headlines this week. Amid all the high-level talks, we asked community members how they feel about the sudden attention and the relationship tug-of-war in the region.

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Al Jazeera

China eyes security pact in talks with Pacific islands in Fiji

China’s top diplomat holds talks with 10 Pacific nations in Fiji to discuss increasing security and economic ties.

Bangkok Post

China hosts Pacific islands meeting in Fiji, security ties in focus

SUVA: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds a meeting with counterparts from 10 Pacific island nations in Fiji on Monday, midway through a diplomatic tour of the region where China's ambitions for wider security ties has caused concern among US allies.

Reuters

China signs deal with Samoa as Australia vows Pacific Islands plan

China's foreign minister signed a deal with Samoa on Saturday to strengthen diplomatic relations, while Australia's new leader said he had a "comprehensive plan" for the Pacific, as Beijing and Canberra continued rival campaigns to woo the region.

Reuters

Fiji PM calls meeting with new Australia foreign minister 'wonderful'

Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said on Saturday he had a “wonderful meeting” with Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who travelled to Fiji days after being sworn in to show the new government's attention to the Pacific Islands.

Asharq Al-Awsat

Australia Urges Pacific Nations to Shun China Security Deals

Australia urged South Pacific nations to spurn China's attempts to extend its security reach across the region Friday, seeking to fend off a high-level charm offensive by Beijing. Foreign Minister Penny Wong was in Fiji on her first solo visit, seeking to woo island states after the Solomon Islands took…

Asharq Al-Awsat

China Plots Fresh Military Exercises in South China Sea

China will hold naval exercises in the South China Sea on Saturday, its maritime authority said, after a week of recrimination from Western powers over its military ambitions across the Pacific region. The exercises, set to take place in the sea less than 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) off the coast…

The Conversation

Amplifying narratives about the 'China threat' in the Pacific may help China achieve its broader aims

Yet more proposed Chinese “security agreements” in the Pacific Islands have been leaked.

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