When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...
Tag: Pacific Island Countries
Related Posts
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 ...
Solomon Islands Voices ‘Concern’ Over Pacific Police Deal
Solomon Islands on Friday aired reservations about a landmark Pacific policing deal brokered by Australia, saying it should not preclude them from working alongside newfound ally China. "There is one thing that is not so much nagging us, but it's of ...
Big Polluters Urged to Pay as Key Pacific Summit Opens in Tonga
By Steven Trask Emissions-belching nations were challenged to stump up for climate-related damage as a key Pacific islands summit opened on Monday, with low-lying Tuvalu declaring: "If you pollute, you should pay." The Pacific Islands ...
China Builds New Presidential Palace in Pacific’s Vanuatu
The government of cash-strapped Vanuatu will soon settle into a suite of new buildings funded by China, a move likely to reignite concerns about Beijing's reach in the South Pacific nation. At an official handover ceremony conducted in front of a ...
Taiwan Backs Ally Palau After Reported Cyberattack
Taiwan said it was ready to help diplomatic ally Palau beef up its digital defenses after the Pacific archipelago was reportedly targeted in a major cyberattack. More than 20,000 documents were stolen from Palau's government just as the United States agreed ...
Solomon Islands Voters Go to Polls With China’s Influence in Focus
Solomon Islanders began voting Wednesday in an election that could reshape regional security, with citizens effectively choosing if their Pacific nation will deepen ties with China. Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has pledged to further bolster relations with Beijing if he is ...
Opposition Figurehead Decries China’s ‘Alarming’ Sway in Solomon Islands
China's growing hold over Pacific nation Solomon Islands is "alarming", a powerful opposition figurehead told AFP Monday ahead of elections that could further entrench Beijing's foothold in the region. Solomon Islands has warmly embraced China under mercurial Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, ...
Solomon Islands Readies for Election in Shadow of China’s Influence
By Steven Trask Solomon Islanders will head to the polls this week, voting in an election that promises to bolster or blunt China's regional ambitions, with security consequences that will ripple far beyond the Pacific nation's palm-fringed shores. ...
Australia Breathes a Big Sigh of Relief After Pacific Island Countries Push Back Against China
You can see from the expression on visiting Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong's face the palpable relief from the reception that she received in Fiji over the weekend and, no doubt, to the news that as a group, Pacific Island Countries balked at China's plan to deepen ...