The United States hopes its summit with Pacific island leaders will result in a joint statement, a senior administration official said, a possible victory for the United States in the region after the countries rejected the push of China for a comprehensive pact.
The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said two days of meetings this week with more than a dozen Pacific countries will feature substantial announcements, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Peace Corps and USAID’s involvement in the region.
“We’re also working on what I would call a joint statement that’s really about a broader vision where the United States and the Pacific Island nations sign up to some joint efforts that are important,” the official said.
President Joe Biden’s Pacific summit aims to show a deeper U.S. commitment to a vast, economically backward region that has increasingly turned to China for its development needs, officials said and analysts For two decades, China has become a major source of infrastructure, loans and aid for the Pacific island nations as it seeks to isolate Taiwan diplomatically and win regional allies in international organizations such as the United Nations.
Some analysts say Beijing also wants a military presence in the Pacific in a challenge to U.S. dominance. Earlier this year it signed a pact with the Solomon Islands that would allow it to send security forces to protect Chinese interests in those islands. But 10 Pacific countries rejected the Chinese government’s attempt to get them to sign on to its vision for the region.
Australia’s state broadcaster ABC reported on Wednesday, without citing a source, that the Solomon Islands government has opposed signing the proposed US declaration.
“We’ve had a lot of enthusiastic support but, as in all discussions, there’s more work to be done and we expect that to continue tomorrow,” the senior US official said. “This type of interaction is not unusual.”
BenarNews is a news service affiliated with RFA.
