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The United States and the Marshall Islands renewed their Compact of Free Association on Oct. 16, Reuters reported the next day.

U.S., Marshall Islands: Third and Final COFA Signed, Waiting on Congressional Ratification

Samoa

Fiji

Kiribati

Nauru

Papua New Guinea

Tuvalu

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The United States is backing the construction of the Central Pacific Cable, a planned undersea internet cable covering thousands of miles that will link U.S. territories American Samoa and Guam before extending to 10 Pacific Island countries and territories, Reuters reported on Sept. 27.

U.S., Pacific Islands: Washington Backs New Undersea Cable Network in Pacific

Australia

U.S. President Joe Biden canceled visits to Australia and Papua New Guinea to address the debt ceiling debate at home, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on May 16.

U.S.: Canceled Visits May Harm Relationship With Pacific Island Nations

The United States and the Federated States of Micronesia agreed on May 15 to renew their Compact of Free Association (COFA) during U.S. President Joe Biden's May 22 visit to Papua New Guinea, Nikkei Asia reported the next day.

U.S., Micronesia: Upcoming COFA Renewal Strengthens Washington's Influence

The U.S. State Department is seeking $7.1 billion over the next 20 years to use as economic assistance for the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) as part of the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) agreements that Washington has with the three Pacific Island nations, Reuters reported March 23. 

U.S.: Biden Administration Seeking $7.1 Billion Over 20 Years in Financial Aid for Pacific Island Nations 

Security

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

The United States appointed Joseph Yun to resume negotiations with three Pacific Island nations -- Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia -- to renew their Compacts of Free Association, which allow the islands' citizens to live and work freely in the United States in return for extensive U.S. military access to their territories, Reuters reported March 22.

U.S., Pacific Islands, China: New Envoy to Shore Up U.S. Presence in Pacific

U.S.-China Relations

All bids have been denied and no contract awarded for a World Bank tender for the East Micronesia Cable system of undersea communications cables to Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) amid U.S. warnings of Chinese security threats, Reuters reported June 17. 

Pacific Islands: Undersea Cable Project Delayed Amid U.S. Concerns of Chinese Interference

Palau announced that it will leave the regional Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) group, citing dissatisfaction with the PIF's recent secretary-general appointment process, the Guardian reported Feb. 4. 

Palau: Island Nation Terminates Membership in Pacific Island Forum

Assessments

New Zealand

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Vanuatu

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marapeand, the Cook Islands' Prime Minister Mark Brown, U.S. President Joe Biden and Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as part of the U.S.-PIF summit at the White House on Sept. 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Despite Washington's desire to strengthen ties with Pacific island nations, political constraints may leave a regional void that China is happy to fill.

Strategic Goals and Political Hurdles in the U.S. Play Tug-of-War Over the Pacific Islands

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left) and Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama attend a joint press conference in Fiji's capital of Suva on May 30, 2022.

China in Transition

China, the U.S., and Australia will need to adapt their traditional engagement with the island nations to secure influence in the strategic maritime region.

The Pacific Islands Emerge as the Next Theater for Great Power Competition 

As U.S. focus turns away from the Pacific islands, other powers are starting to pay attention.

Tracking U.S. Naval Power

Countries like the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau enjoy a close treaty relationship with the United States, but the strategically located states are now on China's radar too.

China Sets a Course for the U.S.'s Pacific Domain

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The Geopolitics of the Cook Islands

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In the remote Pacific islands, the world's crises are dulled by distance. But the plight of the Cook Islands -- a grouping of 15 islands at the heart of the South Pacific is a tiny segment of a sweeping arc that sprawls across the Pacific from the Marianas to Polynesia -- is dire. In spite of the fantasies of travelers over the centuries, these islands are not pristine utopias.

A Place Where Geopolitics Fades

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Paris Agreement Emphasizes Shift Away From Oil

The pace of the transition will be decided by how quickly new technologies reach the developing world.

Energy

Delegates attend a plenary session at the U.N. climate change summit in Paris on Dec. 9.

The agreement signed Dec. 12 in Paris is just a small part of a broader energy transition driven by technological change.

Climate Agreement Will Only Hasten Transition Beyond Oil

_Energy

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Marshall Islands: Third and Final COFA Signed, Waiting on Congressional Ratification

U.S., Pacific Islands: Washington Backs New Undersea Cable Network in Pacific

U.S.: Canceled Visits May Harm Relationship With Pacific Island Nations

U.S., Micronesia: Upcoming COFA Renewal Strengthens Washington's Influence

U.S.: Biden Administration Seeking $7.1 Billion Over 20 Years in Financial Aid for Pacific Island Nations

U.S., Pacific Islands, China: New Envoy to Shore Up U.S. Presence in Pacific

Pacific Islands: Undersea Cable Project Delayed Amid U.S. Concerns of Chinese Interference

Palau: Island Nation Terminates Membership in Pacific Island Forum

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