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☆ If you're stranded on an island, a 'HELP' sign can actually save you — but there's an even better way to get rescued
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThree mariners stranded on an island in the Pacific Ocean were rescued earlier this month after they made a large "HELP" signal by laying out palm leaves on the beach — a scene right out of a movie. Beyond fires, Bigney said it's ideal to create signals with contrast. So in the case of the men stranded on Pikelot Atoll, palm leaves against bright white sand may've created enough contrast to be seen easily from afar. The Coast Guard said the men had access to food and water while stranded with their damaged boat. They thought to signal for help," she said, adding, "Oftentimes it is just a psychological game, in any situation."

Persons: —, Chelsea Garcia, Oliver Henry, Bigney, It's Organizations: Service, Federated, Business, Coast Guard, Navy, Coast, Survival Locations: Polowat, Federated States, Micronesia, Pikelot, Papa New Guinea

☆ Pacific castaways’ ‘HELP’ sign sparks US rescue mission – and an unexpected family reunion
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

So the castaways gathered palm fronds from the 31-acre island, arranged them to spell out “HELP” on the beach, and waited, according to a Coast Guard statement. The names of the stranded men have not been released by the Coast Guard, and CNN attempts to contact their relatives have not gotten replies. When the Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry reached Pikelot on April 9, the story took another twist. “He couldn’t believe I’m with the Coast Guard trying to rescue them.”The man was a third cousin, the others fourth cousins, he said. “It could be coincidence,” said Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir, public affairs officer for US Coast Guard Forces Micronesia.

Persons: Sgt, Richard Ebensberger, Chelsea Garcia, ” Garcia, Oliver Henry, Eugene Halishlius, Halishlius, ” Halishlius, ”, Sara Muir Organizations: CNN, US Navy, Coast Guard, US Coast Guard, Guard, Hawaii Air National Guard, Federated, Kadena Air Base, Navy, Coast Guard HC, Air, Coast, US Coast Guard Forces Micronesia, US Air Force, Andersen Air Force Base, Australian Locations: Micronesia, Pikelot, Guam, Polowat, Federated States, Pacific, Philippines, Hawaii, Okinawa, Japan

☆ 3 Men Rescued from Pacific Island After Writing ‘Help’ With Palm Leaves
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three men who were stranded on a remote Pacific island for more than a week were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after spelling out “HELP” on a beach using palm leaves. The lost men were found on Pikelot, an uninhabited island about 100 miles northwest of their home, alongside their damaged boat on Sunday by an American military aircraft, the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Guam said in a statement. After their unintended delay, the Coast Guard said, the men had been safely returned home Tuesday evening. The search began on Saturday when a woman sent out a distress call to the Coast Guard, reporting that her three uncles had not returned home after almost a week away. The Coast Guard embarked on the search with a U.S. Navy aircraft crew.

Organizations: U.S . Coast Guard, U.S . Coast Guard Sector, Federated, Coast Guard, U.S . Navy Locations: American, U.S . Coast Guard Sector Guam, Polowat, Federated States, Micronesia

☆ US military rescued mariners stranded in the Pacific after they used palm leaves to spell 'HELP' on the beach
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The crew of USCGC Oliver Henry rescues three mariners stranded on Pikelot Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, on April 9, 2024. "This successful operation underscores the effective coordination and partnership between the US Coast Guard, the US Navy, and regional partners," Garcia said. The crew of USCGC Oliver Henry rescues three mariners stranded on Pikelot Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, on April 9, 2024. The Coast Guard has also carried out more recent searches for individuals who went missing while on cruise ships. AdvertisementThe Coast Guard has long operated in the Pacific — its ships used to patrol American territories and other nearby countries for decades.

Persons: —, Chelsea Garcia, USCGC Oliver Henry, Garcia, Oliver Henry Organizations: Navy, Service, Federated, US Coast Guard Forces Micronesia, US Navy, US Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Coast Guard HC, 130J, Coast, Guard Locations: American, Pikelot, Federated States, Micronesia, Guam, Tuesday's Coast, Yap State, Polowat, China

☆ Eyeing China, Senior US Lawmaker Vows to Back Funding for Pacific Islands
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

The Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands and Palau agreed to new 20-year funding programs with the United States last year under which Washington provides economic assistance, while gaining exclusive military access to strategic swaths of the Pacific that China covets. McCaul said he has advocated for a $900 million package for COFA, but was open to other numbers. The U.S. Senate this week passed a $95 billion foreign aid supplemental spending bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that did not include the COFA funding. McCaul said he would work to ensure the money was included in whatever is voted on in the House, likely in mid-March. We're not just going to rubber-stamp the Senate supplemental," he said.

Persons: Michael McCaul, McCaul, Patricia Zengerle, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, U.S . House, Representatives Foreign, U.S, Christian Science Monitor, Federated, United, Washington, Free Association, Senate Locations: Pacific, China, Federated States, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau, United States, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will resume a long-suspended Peace Corps program in the North Pacific island of Palau as the Biden administration continues moves to counter growing Chinese influence in the region. “Volunteers will live and work side-by-side with community partners to improve childhood literacy and math and science skills, along with teaching English as a foreign language,” Peace Corps director Carol Spahn said in a statement. Palau’s president, Surangel Whipps, said the return of the Peace Corps reflects the strong relationship between his nation and the United States. Peace Corps officials said they hope that with congressional funding the Palau reopening will be the first of several new programs it will restart in the Pacific. The Peace Corps, a creation of the John F. Kennedy administration, currently has Pacific island programs in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Persons: Biden, Carol Spahn, Surangel Whipps, “, ” Whipps, John F, Kennedy, Didi Tang Organizations: WASHINGTON, Peace Corps, “ Volunteers, Peace, Corps, Pacific, Marshall, Associated Press Locations: United States, North, Palau, Taiwan, Federated States, Micronesia, China, Marshall Islands, Beijing, U.S, Pacific, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu

☆ Pacific Islands Need to Boost Digital Security to Join Undersea Cable, Says US Official
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kirsty NeedhamSYDNEY (Reuters) - Pacific Islands nations that want to connect to U.S.-funded undersea cables will need to secure their digital ecosystems to guard against data risks from China, a senior U.S. State Department official said. The United States pledged last year to jointly fund two undersea cables, to be built by Google, connecting the U.S. territory of Guam with hubs in Fiji and French Polynesia, and further branching out across remote Pacific Islands. The proposed intra-Pacific cable project has offered to branch out to Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Wallis and Futuna and the Federated States of Micronesia. China and the U.S. are jostling for influence in the Pacific Islands with competing offers for infrastructure. The Solomon Islands, which struck a security pact with Beijing, is rolling out a Chinese-funded mobile network built by Chinese telecommunications company Huawei.

Persons: Kirsty Needham SYDNEY, Nathaniel Fick, Kirsty Needham, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Pacific, U.S . State Department, United, Google, Futuna, Federated, The U.S . Department of, Washington, Sydney, Huawei, Telstra, Microsoft, U.S Locations: U.S, China, Guam, Fiji, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Wallis, Federated States, Micronesia, The, Solomon, Beijing, Australia, Asia, Pacific

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. budget wrangling could further delay funding approval for new agreements with Pacific island nations meant to counter Chinese influence, creating an opportunity for Beijing in the strategically vital region, congressional and other sources say. But congressional sources say this looks impossible as lawmakers argue over spending priorities, raising concerns that a further delay could create an opening for China, which has been wooing financially strapped Pacific economies. "It's feeling pretty dead in the NDAA context," the source said, adding that focus had turned to finding other legislation to secure the COFA funding. "It is really incomprehensible given the amount we're talking about ... why Congress cannot get its act together," Yun said. "What we risk is China getting in where we really don't want them – in places like Palau, RMI, FSM.

Persons: Mike Pompeo, Jonathan Ernst, Biden, Mike Johnson's, Joseph Yun, Yun, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Patricia Zengerle, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, Pohnpei International, REUTERS, Rights, Federated, Marshall, RMI, Washington, Free Association, National Defense, Reuters, Republicans, Natural Resources, Foreign Affairs, New Republican, Biden, State Department, White House National Security Council, Thomson Locations: Pohnpei, Kolonia, States, Micronesia, Pacific, Beijing, Federated States, Palau, China, Ukraine, U.S, Hawaii, Philippines, Washington

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is one of three sprawling but sparsely populated nations that have U.S. ties governed by so-called Compacts of Free Association (COFAs), under which Washington is responsible for their defense and provides economic assistance, while gaining exclusive military access to strategic swathes of ocean. Yun told Reuters he planned to sign the COFA deal with RMI Foreign Minister Jack Adding in Honolulu, Hawaii, at 2 p.m. local time (0000 GMT Tuesday). Analysts and former officials had blamed a delay in finalizing the Marshall Islands COFA on U.S. State Department lawyers wanting to control how new funds were spent and objecting to their being earmarked to address the nuclear legacy, fearing this could lay the U.S. open to more claims. A person familiar with the deal said all current federal programs, including education programs and the U.S. Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Louis Mapou, Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi, Surangel Whipps, Kausea Natano, Joseph Yun, Biden, Yun, Jack, David Kabua, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Sandra Maler Organizations: U.S ., Country, New, Tonga's, Tuvalu's, United, Reuters, The, Marshall, Free Association, Washington, Northern, RMI, RMI Foreign, U.S . Congress, . State Department, U.S, U.S . Postal Service, Thomson Locations: U.S, Federated States, Micronesia's, WASHINGTON, United States, Marshall, Pacific, The Republic, China, Northern Pacific, Palau, Micronesia, Washington, Honolulu , Hawaii, Kwajalein

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is one of three sprawling but sparsely populated nations that have U.S. ties governed by so-called Compacts of Free Association (COFAs), under which Washington is responsible for their defense and provides economic assistance, while gaining exclusive military access to strategic swathes of ocean. Yun said he signed the agreement with RMI Foreign Minister Jack Ading in Honolulu, Hawaii, at a ceremony also attended by Marshallese President David Kabua. Analysts and former officials had blamed a delay in finalizing the Marshall Islands COFA on U.S. State Department lawyers wanting to control how new funds were spent and objecting to their being earmarked to address the nuclear legacy, fearing this could lay the U.S. open to more claims. A person familiar with the deal said all current federal programs, including education programs and the U.S. Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; Editing by Sandra Maler and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Louis Mapou, Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi, Surangel Whipps, Kausea Natano, Joseph Yun, Biden, Yun, Jack Ading, David Kabua, David Brunnstrom, Michael Martina, Sandra Maler, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: U.S ., Country, New, Tonga's, Tuvalu's, United, Marshall, Reuters, The, Free Association, Washington, Northern, RMI, RMI Foreign, U.S, Congress, . State Department, U.S . Postal Service, U.S . Congress, Thomson Locations: U.S, Federated States, Micronesia's, WASHINGTON, United States, The Republic, China, Northern Pacific, Palau, Micronesia, Washington, Honolulu , Hawaii, Marshall, Kwajalein

☆ US backs Pacific undersea internet cable amid China competition
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Joe Brock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Workers install the 2Africa undersea cable on the beach in Amanzimtoti, South Africa, February 7, 2023. The Central Pacific Cable would connect American Samoa with Guam - two U.S. territories - and extend to up to 12 more Pacific islands, according to a document showing the cable route. Undersea internet cables typically take at least 3-5 years to be developed and installed. Tonga was cut off from global telecommunication networks for a month last year after a volcanic eruption and tsunami severed its only undersea cable. Washington intervened two years ago to block a Chinese company from building another subsea internet cable in the Pacific islands, Reuters reported at the time.

Persons: Rogan Ward, Paul McCann, John Hibbard, APTelecom, Hibbard, McCann, Joe Biden, Biden, Solomon, Joe Brock, Kirsty Needham Organizations: REUTERS, Pacific, Reuters, Central Pacific Cable, Futuna, Federated, World Bank, U.S . Trade, Development Agency, U.S, East Micronesia Cable, Thomson Locations: Amanzimtoti, South Africa, China, SINGAPORE, United States, American Samoa, Guam, U.S, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tuvalu, Fiji, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Cook Islands, Wallis, Federated States, Micronesia, Australia, New Zealand, Washington, Tonga, Beijing, Japan, Sydney

Pacific islands leaders gathered Monday for the start of a two-day Washington summit. As part of the summit, the U.S. is formally establishing diplomatic relations with two South Pacific nations, the Cook Islands and Niue. Biden announced Monday that later this year he would deploy a U.S. Coast Guard vessel to the region to collaborate and train with Pacific islands nations. The administration pledged the U.S. would add $810 million in new aid for Pacific islands nations over the next decade, including $130 million on efforts to stymie the impacts of climate change. The leaders will also meet on Monday with Biden's special envoy on climate, John Kerry, for talks focused on climate change.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Biden, “, Antony Blinken, Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi, Mark Brown, Brown, ” Brown, John Kerry, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Kerry, Samantha Power, Janet Yellen, Anthony Albanese Organizations: WASHINGTON, Monday, Pacific Islands Forum, South Pacific, Niue Premier, Cook Islands, U.S ., U.S, Corporation, NFL, U.S . Coast Guard, White House, State Department, U.S . Agency for International Development, USAID, Marshall, Federated, Australian Locations: Washington, United States, U.S, Cook Islands, Niue, Cook, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia , New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Baltimore, Pacific, Federated States, The U.S

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to announce the opening of new U.S. embassies on Cook Islands and Niue on Monday as the Democratic administration aims to demonstrate to Pacific Island leaders that it remains committed to increasing American presence in the region. The announcement about the new diplomatic missions in the South Pacific comes as Biden prepares to welcome leaders to Washington for the two-day U.S.-Pacific Island Forum Summit. Talks are expected to heavily focus on the impact of climate change in the region. They also will meet on Monday with Biden's special envoy on climate, John Kerry, for talks focused on climate change. Kerry and USAID administrator Samantha Power will host the leaders on Tuesday for climate talks with members of the philanthropic community.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, John Kerry, Antony Blinken, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Samantha Power, Janet Yellen, Manasseh Sogavare, Meltek Sato Kilman, Ishmael Kalsakau, Anthony Albanese Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Forum, White, Baltimore Ravens, Coast Guard, U.S . Coast Guard, White House, Pacific, State Department, USAID, Marshall, Federated, Solomon Islands, General Assembly, The U.S, Australian Locations: Cook Islands, Niue, South, Washington, Baltimore Harbor, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia , New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Kerry, Federated States, The U.S, Solomon, New York, China, Papua, Guinea, The

☆ U.S. revives Cold War submarine spy program to counter China
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +21 min

The original network of fixed spy cables, which lie in secret locations on the ocean floor, was designed to spy on Soviet submarines seven decades ago, the three people said. China, meanwhile, is working on its own maritime spy program, known as the Great Underwater Wall, two U.S. Navy sources told Reuters. Sense of urgencyAmerica’s underwater espionage program was launched in the 1950s with a submarine detection system known as the Sound Surveillance System. The U.S. Navy’s Undersea Surveillance System The United States is expanding and upgrading its anti-submarine surveillance capabilities as tensions rise with China. Japan also operates a fleet of three ocean surveillance ships, fitted with U.S. SURTASS cables, the two U.S. Navy sources said.

Persons: Captain Stephany Moore, Richard Seif, Moore, Seif, ”, Tim Hawkins, Mariana Trench, Brent Sadler, We're, Sadler, ” Jon Nelson, Phillip Sawyer, Sawyer, United States –, SOSUS, SubCom, Stephen Askins, Lockheed Martin, Chuck Fralick, Leidos, ” Fralick, Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, Saildrone, Joe Brock, Mohammad Kawoosa, Simon Scarr, Edgar Su, Catherine Tai Design, Eve Watling, Marla Dickerson Organizations: U.S . Navy, Navy, Undersea Surveillance Command, Undersea Surveillance, United, Submarine Force U.S . Pacific Fleet, Reuters, U.S . 5th Fleet, U.S, Pacific, China Academy of Sciences, China’s Ministry of Defense, Foreign, China Naval, U.S . Naval Forces Korea, The Heritage Foundation, Department of Defense, Naval Air Station Whidbey, Processing, Undersea, Undersea Warfare, Naval Postgraduate School, Taiwan, Ships, Titan, Navy’s, CS, U.S . Department of Defense, Lockheed, U.S . State Department, An Australian Defense, Self, Defense Force, Leidos Locations: Seattle, U.S, Whidbey, China, Taiwan, Beijing, United States, Australia, Pacific, South China, Mariana, Yap, Federated States, Micronesia, Guam, Russian, Ukraine, Washington . U.S, Washington, Soviet Union, Washington State, Virginia Beach , Virginia, Monterey , California, Japan, India, States, London, Taiwan Strait, Virginia, San Francisco

☆ No clear winner in US, China contest in the Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The United States and PNG signed a defence cooperation agreement in May. STRATEGIC CHESSBOARDThe events in Vanuatu this week highlighted the challenges Pacific nations face in seeking to benefit from both the United States and its allies, and China. The U.S. Coast Guard has yet to gain clearance to enter Vanuatu's port, as it does in other Pacific Islands, Coast Guard officials said. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manesseh Sogavare is also reluctant to accept U.S. support. The project was the largest infrastructure donation China had made to the Pacific Islands so far, Chinese ambassador Li Ming said at the ceremony.

Persons: Joe Biden, Louis Mapou, Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi, Surangel Whipps, Kausea Natano, Samantha Power, Power, Washington, Lenora Qereqeretabua, Qereqeretabua, Ratu Jone Logavatu Kalouniwai, Denghua Zhang, Ishmael Kalsakau, Manesseh Sogavare, Sogavare, Li Ming, Kirsty Needham, Miral Organizations: U.S ., Country, New, Tonga's, Tuvalu's, United States, USAID, Pacific, Fiji Military Force, Australian National University, Vanuatu's, U.S . Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Solomon Islands, White, Solomon Islands National University, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Federated States, SYDNEY, China, Taiwan, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, United States, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Pacific, Australia, Vanuatu's, Solomon

☆ For These Veterans, ‘Free’ Health Care Is a 5-Hour Flight Away
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Pete Mckenzie | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ovenny Jermeto was on a combat tour 7,000 miles away from his island home in the Pacific when a bomb blew up his vehicle in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. He survived and completed his deployment, but later lost feeling in his right foot and struggled with anxiety and depression. He returned to the United States to finish his enlistment, eventually getting discharged on medical grounds. Thousands of foreign citizens enlist in the U.S. military every year; hundreds of them are from Micronesia, a result of the country’s close ties to the United States. According to the State Department, the regional rate of enlistment is double the rate in the United States, with almost 1 percent of Micronesians serving.

☆ Six Pacific countries at high risk of debt distress - World Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

To match Feature PACIFIC-JUSTICE/ REUTERS/Lincoln FeastWELLINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - Six Pacific countries are at a high risk of debt distress in part due to government spending to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, the World Bank said in a report on Thursday. Among other countries in the region, Vanuatu is rated at medium risk, while Palau and Nauru’s debt is sustainable, the report noted. The World Bank last month said that Fiji must also take urgent action to reduce its debt burden. Stephen Ndegwa, World Bank Country Director for Papua New Guinea & the Pacific Islands, said reducing debt, strengthening revenue and improving the quality of government spending are critical areas for Pacific countries to address. It also said that Pacific countries should allocate more to social assistance and protection measures.

☆ US opens embassy in Tonga in new pushback against China in Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - The United States has opened a new embassy in Tonga, the State Department said on Tuesday, part of efforts to step up the U.S. diplomatic presence in the Pacific region to counter China. The United States "officially opened the U.S. Embassy in Nuku'alofa on May 9, 2023," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. Miller said the embassy would allow Washington to deploy additional diplomatic personnel and resources, including the potential appointment of a resident ambassador to Tonga, with which the United States has had diplomatic relations since 1972. Despite the diplomatic push, the Solomon Islands announced in March it had awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to a Chinese state company to upgrade an international port in Honiara. The United States and regional allies Australia and New Zealand have had concerns that China has ambitions to build a naval base in the region since the Solomon Islands struck a security pact with Beijing last year.

☆ U.S. negotiator says Biden would be warmly welcomed in Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - The United States needs to accelerate diplomatic "catch up" with the Pacific island region in the face of Chinese competition, a U.S. diplomat said on Friday, adding that he was sure President Joe Biden would be warmly welcomed there if he decided to visit. "Obviously for the Pacific, I am sure they would welcome President Biden, if he were to go there," Yun told the Hudson Institute. A Pacific islands source told Reuters that Biden was also expected to meet with more than a dozen Pacific islands leaders, but the White House National Security Council has not responded to request for comment on the plans. Yun said the level of Chinese coercion in the region that is crucial to U.S. national security, but that had been neglected by the United States, is concerning. "So now we're playing ... a little bit of catch up, I would say, and but you know, we need to accelerate our catch up."

☆ U.S. and China wage war beneath the waves – over internet cables
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +28 min

Three of China’s state-owned carriers – China Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom), China Mobile Limited and China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd (China Unicom) – had committed funding as members of the consortium, which also included U.S.-based Microsoft Corp and French telecom firm Orange SA, according to six people involved in the deal. China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and Orange did not respond to requests for comment. China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom were resolutely behind HMN Tech, which had come in with a bid of around $500 million. China Telecom and China Mobile threatened to walk off the project, taking tens of millions of dollars of investment with them. Among them is China Telecom, which had previously won authorization to provide services in the United States.

☆ U.S. aims for over $7 billion in aid for 20-year Pacific islands compacts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Under those pacts, first agreed in the 1980s, the United States retains responsibility for the islands' defense and exclusive access to huge swaths of the Pacific. Current COFA provisions expire in 2024 for Palau, and later in 2023 for the Marshall Islands and the FSM. That included $6.5 billion in direct economic assistance and $634 million for the unfunded costs of extending the U.S. Postal Service in the three island countries, she said. "Absent the new economic assistance provisions, we really leave the three countries open to predatory behavior, coercive behavior," she said, alluding to China's efforts to court Pacific island countries.

☆ Pacific's Micronesia in talks to switch ties from Beijing to Taiwan- letter
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

We can and will receive this, over a three year period, if and when we establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan," he wrote. In the letter, Panuelo accused China of waging "political warfare" in his country, and bribing his government's officials. Beijing and Taiwan have a history of competing in the Pacific islands, where four of Taiwan's 14 diplomatic allies are located. Two Pacific island nations, Kiribati and Solomon Islands, cut diplomatic ties with democratically ruled Taiwan in 2019 after offers of aid from China, which views Taiwan as its own territory. Reporting by Kirsty Needham in Sydney; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

☆ With China looming, U.S. signs MoU with another Pacific island state
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The State Department announcement means Washington has now signed MoUs on future assistance with three key Pacific island countries as it negotiates cooperation agreement renewals that gives the United States access to huge swaths of the Pacific for defense purposes. Washington said it signed MoUs last month with the Marshall Islands and Palau and reached consensus on terms of U.S. economic assistance, but Washington has not provided details. The U.S. move comes as Washington and its allies are concerned about China's military ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region. Under Compacts of Free Association (COFA) first agreed in the 1980s, Washington retains responsibility for the defense of the three island nations while providing them with economic assistance. Though the island nations still enjoy close ties to Washington, critics warn that a failure to finalize economic aid could spur them to look to China for funding or increased trade and tourism.

☆ Coast Guard Looks at More Ships, Innovative Patrols to Ramp Up Pacific Presence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Mike Cherney | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SYDNEY—During a recent patrol, members of a U.S. Coast Guard cutter’s crew conducted a first-of-its-kind boarding of a fishing vessel in waters off the Federated States of Micronesia. Several months earlier, another cutter traveled thousands of miles from its home port in Guam to northern Australia, in what was considered a first for that type of ship. The missions illustrate how the Coast Guard, which some U.S. officials view as a potent soft-power tool that can advance relationships with Pacific island nations, plans to ramp up activities in a strategic region that has become an arena of great-power rivalry between China and the U.S.

☆ U.S. opens embassy in Solomon Islands, Blinken says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The United States has opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands after a 30-year absence as it seeks to boost diplomatic relations in the Pacific as a counter to China. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced plans to open a diplomatic mission in the Pacific island nation during a visit to the region last year. The last U.S. embassy in the Solomons closed in 1993 amid post-Cold War budget cuts and the United States was represented there by an ambassador based in Papua New Guinea. In a statement on Wednesday, Blinken said the State Department informed the Solomon Islands' government that the opening of the new embassy in the capital Honiara became official as of Jan. 27. The reopening of the embassy in the Solomons comes as Washington has been negotiating the renewal of cooperation agreements with three key Pacific island nations, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.

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