The G-7 statement on China is just “lip service,” according to Steve Yates, former deputy national security adviser at the White House. The G-7 countries—the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, and Italy—announced on May 20 their plan to address the “disturbing rise in incidents of economic coercion.” “We will work together…

As the Marshall Islands is yet to renew its military contract with the United States, China’s communist regime is striving to undermine the bilateral relationship—and could succeed if the U.S. fails to properly handle its alliance with the Pacific country, according to Indo-Pacific expert Cleo Paskal. Paskal, who is also an associate fellow of the…

As the G-7 leaders doubled down on their opposition to China in the latest summit in Japan last week, their statement is long overdue, according to John Mills, former director of cybersecurity policy, strategy, and international affairs at the Department of Defense. The summit in Japan, held from May 19 to 21, saw the attendance…

Palau’s government has imposed a ban on the sale and use of electronic cigarettes in the Pacific Island nation, citing the “detrimental effects” of the products on public health, according to local reports. The bill, signed into law by Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. on Wednesday, will also prohibit the import and advertisement of electronic…

The Biden administration aims to allocate $7.1 billion in funding for three Pacific Island nations with which the United States has economic and defense ties, a U.S. official said on March 23, in a move to counter Beijing’s influence in the region. State Department official Jane Bocklage told a congressional hearing that President Joe Biden’s…

Five countries are joining the United States this year in a humanitarian assistance Christmas drop, which kicked off on Dec. 4. Air forces from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and India are going to make deliveries to over 20 thousand islanders across 56 remote islands throughout Micronesia and Palau. Based out…

The United States needs to ramp up diplomatic ties with Freely Associated States (FAS)—Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Micronesia—to restrict Beijing’s expansionism in the Pacific region, according to a new report. The United States Institute for Peace said Beijing saw Pacific nations as a “low-investment, high-reward” opportunity. “China has not focused on the FAS in its…

Palau’s president vowed on Sunday that the Pacific nation will maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan despite growing concerns over Beijing and the Kremlin’s attempts to change the international status quo. During an interview on a visit to Japan, Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. voiced concerns that China’s military drills near Taiwan and Russia’s aggression against…

The president of the small Pacific Island nation of Palau called on Taiwan to be allowed to join efforts to protect the world’s oceans after Taiwanese nationals were blocked from attending a U.N. event in Portugal. The event focused on the sustainable use of oceans and marine resources, a key concern for Pacific Island nations….

The Pacific nations of Palau, Fiji, and Samoa have formed a new alliance to call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, citing the industry’s potential hazards to ocean ecology. “We believe it is not worth the risk. We ask all of you to support that deep-sea mining increases the vulnerability of the seabed floor and…