Italy has announced its formal withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative after joining the China-centered infrastructure and investment project in 2019.
The timing of the announcement that Rome won’t renew its BRI commitment is notable. It came only a day before the EU-China summit, which kicks off on Thursday. The summit will likely be more contentious than usual, with European leaders expected to push China on the treatment of EU firms amid discussions ...
Category: South Pacific
Papua New Guinea, Micronesia to Sign Agreement With U.S. as Pacific Island Countries Increasingly Take Sides in Great Power Rivalry
Pacific Island Countries (PIC) are the current focal point in the escalating competition for influence between the United States and China around the world. Both Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Micronesia signed defense agreements with the United States on Monday during ...
After a Setback in Honduras, Taiwan’s Diplomacy Gets a Small Boost in the South Pacific
The Fijian government allowed Taiwan to reinstate the old name of its representative office in the South Pacific island country to include its official moniker "The Republic of China." While a simple name change may not seem like a big deal, in ...
Why Chinese Lending to Pacific Island Countries Has Steadily Declined in Recent Years
Chinese lending to Pacific Island Countries (PICs) is now at its lowest level in 15 years, according to new data published by the Australian think tank Lowy Institute. The findings may come as a surprise, given China's heightened diplomatic and security ...
Solomon Islands Explains It Wanted China References Stripped From U.S.-Pacific Island Countries’ Accord
The Solomon Islands caused a bit of a stir last month at a summit in Washington, D.C. when it refused to sign an initial draft of an accord between the U.S. and more than a dozen Pacific nations. Now, we know why.
Fox News Blames Biden for China in the Solomon Islands
U.S. concerns about Chinese influence in the Solomon Islands have crossed a notable rhetorical red line: it is now a talking point on Fox News. This turns it from an obscure geopolitical spat to a topic in the mainstream Republican-Democrat culture war. Fox hosted the ...
Analysis from Cobus van Staden
Awkward Timing as Italy Withdraws from BRI
Tuvalu Minister Pulls out of U.N. Ocean Conference After China Blocks Its Taiwanese Delegates
Simon Kofe, the foreign minister of Tuvalu, pulled out of the United Nations Ocean Conference opening in Portugal on Monday after China blocked the participation of three Taiwanese included in the tiny Pacific island nation's delegation list, according to Radio New Zealand. (REUTERS)
U.S. and Its Allies in Asia Form New Group to Counter China’s Rising Influence in the South Pacific
The United States formed yet another coalition with a catchy tagline intended to push back against China's growing clout, this time in the South Pacific. The United States, Japan, Australia, Britain, and New Zealand announced ...
China’s New Ambitions in the South Pacific
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent South Pacific tour put the region in play as the latest venue for Great Power political rivalries. But even though the ten Pacific Island Countries (PIC) are among the smallest in the world, they came ...