September 1, 2023 | The Diplomat
US Pacific Policy in China’s Shadow
Washington has indeed stepped up engagement, but missteps, half-steps, and mixed messaging are getting in the way.
September 1, 2023 | The Diplomat
US Pacific Policy in China’s Shadow
Washington has indeed stepped up engagement, but missteps, half-steps, and mixed messaging are getting in the way.
Excerpt
There has been a flurry of Pacific Islands-related press releases coming out of the United States Department of State this year.
The announcements came especially fast and furious during a bevy of meetings in Papua New Guinea this May. On May 22 and 23 alone, the State Department issued four major read-outs: “The United States and Papua New Guinea Sign New Defense Cooperation Agreement,” “U.S.-Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Dialogue in Papua New Guinea,” “Secretary Blinken Witnesses the Signing of the U.S.-Palau 2023 Agreement,” and “Signing of the U.S.-FSM [Federated States of Micronesia] Compact of Free Association-Related Agreements.”
Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden hosted the “first ever U.S-Pacific Island Country Summit” on September 28-29, 2022, at which the White House’s Pacific Partnership Strategy was launched. There is due to be a second summit in September 2023. (The meetings are held in September as many Pacific leaders are already in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, so it is more likely they would be willing to hang out for a few days for meetings in Washington.)
Cleo Paskal is non-resident senior fellow for the Indo-Pacific at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Follow her on X @CleoPaskal. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, non-partisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.