Tag: South Pacific
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Solomons’ PM Contender Vows to Abolish China Security Pact
A leading contender to become the Solomon Islands' next prime minister has vowed to renounce a security pact with China as the Pacific nation begins counting votes Thursday in a pivotal general election. "If we are in government, we will abolish ...
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. ...
Leaders Arrive in Beijing for What’s Going to be a Frenetic Week of Global South Diplomacy
Visiting heads of state, foreign ministers, and party leaders from Asia, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean arrived in Beijing this weekend for what's going to be a very busy week ahead for Chinese diplomacy specifically focused on small and mid-sized countries in the Global South.
China Poised to Pick Off Another One of Taiwan’s South Pacific Allies as New PM Takes Office in Tuvalu
Lawmakers in Tuvalu have selected Feleti Teo as the Pacific island nation's new prime minister, a top official told AFP on Monday, weeks after an election that has put ties with Taiwan in focus. Former attorney general Teo secured the support ...
With Eye on China, Japan Seeks to Bolster Ties With Pacific Island Countries
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, together with her counterparts from the 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIC), reaffirmed this week the importance of the "rules-based international order" -- a somewhat anodyne declaration but significant in the context of Japan's contentious relationship with China. ...
How Ties With a Small Pacific Island Country Highlights China’s Reputational Statecraft
By Lukas Fiala & Kenddrick Chan Among the many noteworthy consequences of Taiwan’s recent elections, Nauru’s recognition of the One China Principle is perhaps the most underappreciated one. Having announced the diplomatic switch from Taipei to Beijing shortly after election ...
Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Illustrate Striking Divide in South Pacific Country Allegiances
Leaders from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are making it clear where their loyalties lie as China and the West jockey for influence in the strategically important South Pacific. Papua New Guinea signed a defense agreement with the U.S. ...
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 ...
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. ...
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.