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U.S. to open Vanuatu embassy in newest transfer to counter China in Pacific By Reuters


WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The USA plans to open an embassy within the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, the State Division mentioned on Friday, in Washington’s newest transfer to spice up its diplomatic presence within the Pacific to counter China’s rising affect.

“In step with the U.S. Indo-Pacific technique, a everlasting diplomatic presence in Vanuatu would permit the U.S. Authorities to deepen relationships with Ni-Vanuatu officers and society,” the division mentioned in a press release.

“Establishing U.S. Embassy Port Vila would facilitate areas of potential bilateral cooperation and improvement help, together with efforts to sort out the local weather disaster,” it mentioned.

The USA has diplomatic relations with Vanuatu, which has a inhabitants of 319,000 unfold throughout 80 islands, however is at the moment represented by diplomats primarily based in New Guinea.

The USA States reopened its embassy within the Solomon Islands this yr after a 30-year absence and the most recent State Division announcement follows a go to this month to the area, together with Vanuatu, by U.S. Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell.

Different U.S. embassies are deliberate within the Pacific island nations of Kiribati and Tonga.

Regardless of the diplomatic push, the Solomon Islands introduced this month it had awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to a Chinese language state firm to improve a world port in Honiara.

The USA and its regional allies have held considerations that China has ambitions to construct a naval base within the area for the reason that Solomon Islands struck a safety pact with Beijing final yr.

Washington has additionally been working to resume agreements with the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) underneath which it retains duty for the islands’ protection and good points unique entry to large swaths of the Pacific.

The Biden administration is looking for greater than $7 billion over the following 20 years for financial help to the three nations, the State Division mentioned final week, funds seen as key to insulating them from rising Chinese language affect.


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