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Vanuatu's parliament elected Sato Kilman as prime minister after ousting his predecessor Ishmael Kalsakau in a no-confidence vote, Reuters reported Sept. 4. 

Vanuatu: New Prime Minister Could Shake Up Pacific Island Diplomacy

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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

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The island nation of Vanuatu declared a climate emergency and estimated that it needs $1.2 billion to mitigate climate effects, Phys.org reported May 28.

Vanuatu: Pacific Island Nations Prioritize Climate Change

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The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced that it approved four new members to join -- the Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Belarus and Ecuador-- China Daily reported Dec. 19. 

China: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Expands Membership

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After two weeks of negotiations, representatives of nearly 200 countries have approved the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the extent of climate change in the coming decades, The Telegraph reported Dec. 12.

France: Delegates Approve Paris Climate Change Deal

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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.

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The U.S. and the Balance of Power

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 

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

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The Geopolitics of the Cook Islands

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

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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.

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

Vanuatu: New Prime Minister Could Shake Up Pacific Island Diplomacy

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

Vanuatu: Pacific Island Nations Prioritize Climate Change

China: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Expands Membership

France: Delegates Approve Paris Climate Change Deal

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