UNITED STATES: On Wednesday, the US Presidential Envoy initiating talks with three Pacific island states to renew accords mentioned that he was inclined to advance by visiting the Pacific islands before US President Joe Biden visited the area later in May. Joseph Yun will be in Micronesia on Monday, followed by visits to Palau and the Marshall Islands.
Although Washington and the three COFA authorities are negotiating cooperation agreements for future assistance, these papers must be formalised.
Justin Tkachenko, Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister, stated that the US President, during his visit on May 22, would sign an agreement related to defence and surveillance with Papua New Guinea that he would deem fit to improve the significance of the country that witnessed the death of Biden’s uncle during World War 2.
These accords, which will come to an end in the current year and next, provide the United States with exclusive access to enormous strategic stretches of the Pacific and enable it to retain responsibility for the security of the islands.
To emphasise his administration’s participation in the Pacific region to counter China, the White House said on Tuesday that Biden would become the first sitting US president to visit the Pacific island country of Papua New Guinea following the G7 conference in Japan.
However, there is still some challenging work to be done; Yun indicated last month that he was incredibly confident that they would be and that the US Congress would approve them quickly.
In reaction to the Chinese competition, he suggested that Washington needed to expedite its diplomatic “catch-up” with the Pacific island region. He also mentioned that the accord with these three nations would give them approximately $6.5 billion in two decades.
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