The U.S. State Department has notified Congress of its plan to ramp up engagement with Pacific islands, including increasing the number of diplomatic personnel and spending for U.S. embassies in the region. Washington aims to hire 40 American and local staff for the new embassies in the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Kiribati over the…

Vanuatu’s prime minister said on Wednesday that a security pact signed with Australia last year had not been ratified by parliament due to concerns that it did not reflect the sovereignty of the Pacific nation. Speaking to reporters in Port Vila, Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said the pact “does not compel Vanuatu to anything” and…

The United States struck three agreements with the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) on May 23 to sustain cooperation at “significant levels” amid ongoing rivalry between the U.S. and China in the Pacific region. The accords were signed by Alissa Bibb, the charge d’affaires of the U.S. embassy in Pohnpei, and Micronesian negotiator Leo Falcam…

The United States and Papua New Guinea (PNG) signed a defense cooperation agreement on Monday to solidify their bilateral ties as the U.S. attempts to push back China’s influence in the Pacific region. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with PNG Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby on behalf of President Joe Biden, whose…

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…

Japan’s foreign minister met with the Solomon Islands leader on Sunday and brought up about a controversial security pact that Beijing and the Pacific Island nation entered into last year, according to Japan’s government. During his visit to Honiara, foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare that Japan has been “closely…

The Federated States of Micronesia’s (FSM’s) outgoing leader has proposed that his nation switch ties from Beijing to Taiwan as he accused Beijing of waging “political warfare” and making “direct threats” to his safety. FSM President David Panuelo, whose term is ending in two months, exposed the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)…

More than 400 people in Vanuatu remain in evacuation centers as Cyclone Kevin makes landfall in the Pacific Island nation just two days after it was hit by a massive cyclone, which triggered an earthquake. The Fiji Meteorology Service said that tropical cyclone Kevin arrived in Vanuatu on Friday, bringing torrential rain and wind gusts…

The World Bank predicts that Pacific economies will grow this year amid the reopening of international borders, but inflationary pressures and debt remain key concerns for the region, according to its report. In a report released on Tuesday, the World Bank said that Pacific nations will need to consider reforms and policies to boost equitable…

The United States and Micronesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday reaffirming their close ties, a pact considered crucial to the U.S. efforts to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific. The State Department said the MoU reflected a “shared understanding reached on levels and types of future U.S. assistance to be requested…