US has agreed Pacific Islands deal, offering ‘big dollar numbers’
The United States says it has agreed on a partnership with the Pacific Islands that offers the prospect of “big dollar” help to a region where China has been expanding its influence, Qazet.az reports.
US President Joe Biden is hosting leaders and representatives from 14 island nations for a two-day summit at the White House, as the country steps up engagement in the region.
The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying the Biden administration would announce it would invest more than $860m in expanded programmes to aid the islands, on top of more than $1.5bn provided over the past decade.
It added that all visiting leaders, including Solomon Islands’ President Manasseh Sogavare, had agreed to the 11-point statement. Reports on Wednesday suggested that Sogavare, who has moved closer to China in recent months, was not prepared to sign.
The White House had no immediate comment on the funding figure, but a US official told the Reuters news agency that the report was accurate.
The US is courting the Pacific island nations at a time when Beijing has been increasingly active in the region, offering new investment and, in the case of the Solomon Islands, a security pact. Some of the leaders are wary about China, but also that they will be caught in the middle of the two superpowers.