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Samoa

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Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

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

Djibouti

Indonesia

Japan

Mongolia

Philippines

Vietnam

Economics

Military & Security

Japan is considering offering Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia and Djibouti security-focused aid under Tokyo's Official Security Assistance (OSA) program, Asahi Shimbun reported on Aug. 28.

Japan: Tokyo Considers Six Countries to Receive Security Aid

Tonga

Vanuatu

France

U.S.-China Relations

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced "new imperialism" in the Pacific region during a visit to Vanuatu, Euronews reported on July 27.

Pacific Islands: Flurry of Visits Highlights Region's Growing Strategic Importance

The Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) signed between the United States and Papua New Guinea affords the U.S. military "unimpeded access" to six strategically located Papua New Guinea air and seaports, among several other key provisions, The Jakarta Post reported on June 16.

U.S., Papua New Guinea: Full Text of Defense Pact Reveals Significant U.S. Presence Incoming

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

U.S. President Joe Biden will stop in Papua New Guinea on May 22 to sign a Defense Cooperation Agreement and a second deal allowing the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol Papua New Guinea's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Reuters reported on May 10.

U.S., Papua New Guinea: Countries to Sign Pacts Covering Development, Defense, Surveillance

Papua New Guinea's newly appointed Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko revealed that the country is moving to negotiate a security treaty with Australia, ABC News reported Aug. 30.

Australia, Papua New Guinea: Countries to Negotiate Formal Security Pact

Asia-Pacific: Among Great Powers

Voters in Papua New Guinea's region of Bougainville in the Solomon Island chain voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from the country in a non-binding referendum between Nov. 23 and Dec. 7, according to an official Dec. 11 announcement, the BBC reported.

Papua New Guinea: Voters in Bougainville Region Back Independence in Referendum

Assessments

New Zealand

Palau

Solomon Islands

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.

Security

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

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 

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape and his wife, Rachel, went on a six-day visit to Australia during July.

Papua New Guinea's new prime minister has pledged to win more benefits for the debt-ridden Pacific country. But doing so could come at the cost of vital foreign revenue streams -- and his political career.

In Papua New Guinea, Reality Will Dim Any Nationalist Dreams

The extremely secluded resort island of Wakaya, Fiji. 

The New Silk Road

As Beijing increases its ties in the Pacific subregion of Melanesia, Australia is forced to reckon with a more permanent Chinese presence on its doorstep. 

China Encroaches on Australia's Backyard

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

Columns

On the Road

Timor-Leste

Malaysia

The Geopolitics of the Cook Islands

Environmental Issues

Globalization

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

Media

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

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Mali

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Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

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Americas

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Asia-Pacific

Brunei Darussalam

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Graphics

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

Myanmar

Oman

Yemen

Bangladesh

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

Beijing is reluctant to draw attention to its port development projects and the fact that the Chinese navy is increasingly reliant on an extended supply network.

Modernizing China’s Military

Beijing's waterborne forces have become very active over the past five years. Sortie rates are increasingly high, and the number of global maritime deployments by the People's Liberation Army Navy is growing. Because of this, the Chinese are increasingly recognizing the need to improve both their underway logistics capabilities and the global infrastructure needed to facilitate their long-distance deployments.

Mapping China's Maritime Ambition 

Videos

Vice President of Strategic Intelligence Rodger Baker discusses the recent mutiny in Papua New Guinea and its broader implications for the Pacific region.

Dispatch: Political Instability in Papua New Guinea

SITUATION REPORTS

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

Japan: Tokyo Considers Six Countries to Receive Security Aid

Pacific Islands: Flurry of Visits Highlights Region's Growing Strategic Importance

U.S., Papua New Guinea: Full Text of Defense Pact Reveals Significant U.S. Presence Incoming

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

U.S., Papua New Guinea: Countries to Sign Pacts Covering Development, Defense, Surveillance

Australia, Papua New Guinea: Countries to Negotiate Formal Security Pact

Papua New Guinea: Voters in Bougainville Region Back Independence in Referendum

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