The US will provide $210mn to Pacific Island nations to help tackle issues ranging from climate change and maritime security to economic development in Washington’s latest push to counter Chinese activity in the region.
The promised aid from the Biden administration follows a pledge of $600mn in economic assistance for the next decade that US vice-president Kamala Harris unveiled in Fiji in July.
The announcement comes as the US boosts diplomatic engagement with countries from Fiji to Papua New Guinea, part of a new strategy for the region after China caught the US by surprise this year by signing a security pact with the Solomon Islands.