Wang Yi Holds Talks With Senior Political Leaders From Pacific Island Countries

A delegation of senior political leaders from Pacific Island countries wrapped up a week-long visit to Beijing on Friday with a meeting with Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party's most senior foreign policy official. Wang, who also serves as Foreign Minister, met ...

Key Summit Opens at ‘Pivotal’ Time for Pacific Islands

The top summit for Pacific island nations opened Monday in the Kingdom of Tonga, drawing global attention to the region's climate plight and its role in an unfolding great power rivalry. Melodic Tongan choir singers and dancing school children in traditional ...

UPDATE: Paraguay, Pacific Island Leaders to Attend Taiwan Inauguration

Eight heads of state will be among the 51 international delegations attending the inauguration of Taiwan's new leader next week, Taipei said Friday. Incoming president Lai Ching-te will be sworn in on Monday against a backdrop of increasing diplomatic and military ...

Solomons Islands PM Vows ‘Look North’ Pro-China Policy if Reelected

Solomon Islands' pro-China leader on Tuesday detailed a reelection campaign based on a "look North" strategy that would deepen security and economic ties with Beijing while retaining "traditional" allies like Australia. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare -- who has accused "agents of ...

Three Pacific Islands Leaders to Skip Annual Bloc Summit Amid China-U.S. Rivalry

The leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week's annual Pacific Islands Forum, hampering the consensus-based group’s efforts to project unity as China and the United States jockey for influence in the region. The three ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

China-Led Study Proposes Global Energy Network

A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.
The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked ...

China Isn’t Spending Anywhere Near as Much on Aid to Pacific Island Countries as Many Think

New research reveals that Chinese aid spending in Pacific Island Countries (PIC) is now at the lowest level in 14 years, challenging the widely held perception that Beijing is showering the region with money in a bid to boost its influence. ...