The United States said Monday it will establish diplomatic relations with the Cook Islands and Niue, in a move widely seen as part of efforts to roll back China's expanding influence in a strategically important region.
The announcement was made as U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a second meeting with Pacific island leaders in Washington to boost cooperation in areas that matter most for them, including infrastructure building and steps to combat climate change and illegal fishing.
"The United States is committed to ensuring the Indo-Pacific region...is free, open, prosperous and secure," Biden said as he met with them for a summit with the Pacific Islands Forum. "We're committed to working with all the nations around this table to achieve that goal."
Biden said the United States will increase aid for risk reduction for climate and natural hazards as the Pacific countries are vulnerable to rising sea levels, and invest more in projects to contribute to the improvement of infrastructure and the sustainability of fisheries.
A senior Biden administration official said that one of the main projects is to provide secure undersea cable connectivity for the countries, given that internet connections are still not as reliable as they hope.
Biden also said the United States will double the number of academic exchanges for Pacific islands students.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, who spoke immediately after Biden, hailed the establishment of diplomatic ties between his country and Niue, respectively, with the United States as "milestones" that serve to "celebrate areas of change and demonstrate that with unshakable resolve and leadership, remarkable achievements are possible."
The 18-member forum includes Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands and Tonga.
Biden hosted the inaugural summit with Pacific islands leaders almost a year ago in Washington. At the time, he unveiled the first-ever U.S. strategy dedicated to the Pacific islands, which warned that "pressure and economic coercion" by China risked undermining the peace and prosperity of the region.
Although the United States has been stepping up efforts to curtail increasing Chinese inroads into those countries, the Solomon Islands, which switched its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, did not take part in the second summit, initially slated for May in Papua New Guinea.
At the time, Biden scaled back his travel plans due to a potential debt default back in Washington, returning home after a Group of Seven summit in Japan and passing up a chance to become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Papua New Guinea.
