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…

The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted two naturalised citizens of the Marshall Islands for running a multi-year money laundering and bribery scheme—via a UN-linked non-profit organisation—to support the creation of a special economic zone within the Pacific country. One expert says the incident is an example of Beijing’s efforts to destabilise democratic institutions in…