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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 ...

Blinken in Japan for 2+2 Security Talks, Quad

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Japan on Sunday as part of an Asia-Pacific tour aimed at shoring up alliances in the face of an increasingly assertive China. The visit comes three months after President Joe Biden and Prime ...

China Premier Li Starts New Zealand, Australia Visits

Chinese Premier Li Qiang landed in Wellington Thursday to launch a tour of New Zealand and Australia, a trip focused on trade against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tensions. Second only to President Xi Jinping in China's political hierarchy, Li is ...

New Zealand Says ‘Seriously Concerned’ by China’s Increased Security Actions in Pacific

New Zealand's foreign minister on Friday criticized China's bid for an increased security presence in the Pacific Islands, warning against actions that could "destabilize" or undermine regional security. "China has a long-standing presence in the Pacific, but we are seriously concerned about increased engagement ...

China Says AUKUS Risks Nuclear Proliferation in Pacific

China's foreign minister on Saturday accused Western powers in the AUKUS security pact of provoking division and risking nuclear proliferation in the South Pacific. On a weekend visit to strengthen Beijing's ties with Papua New Guinea, Foreign Minister Wang Yi lashed ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The G20 Summit and the Half-Life of a Joke

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 ...

China’s Engagement in the Global South: Three Lessons From Fiji’s China Policing Deal Volte-Face

By Innocent Batsani-Ncube When Sitiveni Rabuka was elected Fiji's Prime Minister after a very close parliamentary vote in December 2022,  expectations were high — especially in Australia and other Western capitals — that his government would make good on his election campaign commitment to ...

A Full-on Freak Out is Underway About China’s New Security Pact With the Solomon Islands

A joint security agreement between the Solomon Islands and China is sparking considerable anxiety among government officials, security analysts, and scholars in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States who see it as a direct challenge to both countries' military interests in the Pacific.

Solomon Islands Claps Back at Australia for China Pressure

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare hit out at critics of the Pacific Island nation’s recent security deal with China. The contract of the deal was recently leaked, raising alarm in New Zealand and Australia about a possible Chinese military presence ...