Biden to hold second summit with Pacific islands amid China rivalry

Biden to hold second summit with Pacific islands amid China rivalry

US seeks to boost ties with region

U.S. President Joe Biden will host a second summit with leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum at the White House on Monday and Tuesday, as part of his efforts to step up engagement with a region where the U.S. is in a battle for influence with China.

The summit, which will involve 18 Pacific island nations, will focus on “reaffirming the U.S. commitment to our shared regional priorities” and deepening cooperation in areas such as climate change, economic growth, health security, and people-to-people ties, according to a statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

The summit will also build on the first one that Biden hosted in September last year, when he pledged to help the islanders stave off China’s “economic coercion” and promised to work harder with allies and partners to address their needs.

Pacific islands face multiple challenges

The summit comes at a time when the Pacific island region is facing multiple challenges, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the threat of climate change, and the geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China.

The Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Henry Puna said on Monday that he hoped the summit would bring concrete actions on these issues, especially on climate change, which he called “the single greatest existential threat” to the region.

He also said that the Pacific island countries were ready to engage with any partner who was willing to work with them, rather than around them.

Mark Brown, prime minister of the Cook Islands and current chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, said that the region was looking for “tangible” U.S. engagement that would help economic recovery through improved transportation links and increased trade.

He also urged the U.S. to make significant contributions to the Green Climate Fund, a global fund that supports developing countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change, at a pledging conference in Germany next month.

Palau president shares personal story

One of the leaders who will attend the summit is Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr, who spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday and shared a personal story of how climate change had affected his life.

He said that he used to fish on an island as a child, but now that island was two-thirds submerged by rising sea levels, causing turtles to lay eggs in a tidal zone where they were unlikely to survive.

He said that simplified access to climate financing was “crucial” for the Pacific’s small island states, whose economies were struggling from a tourism downturn caused by the pandemic and rising costs fuelled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He also called for more action from the international community to address climate change and uphold the Paris Agreement.