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WASHINGTON – United States of America (US) plans to open an embassy in the South Pacific island nation, Vanuatu , said the US State Department, Friday (31/3/2023). It is Washington’s latest move to increase its diplomatic presence in the Pacific to counter China’s growing influence.
“Consistent with the US Indo-Pacific strategy, a permanent diplomatic presence in Vanuatu will enable the US Government to deepen ties with Ni-Vanuatu officials and people,” the US State Department said in a statement, as quoted by Reuters.
“Establishing the Port Vila US Embassy will facilitate areas of potential bilateral cooperation and development assistance, including efforts to address the climate crisis,” the statement continued.
The US has diplomatic relations with Vanuatu, which has a population of 319,000 spread across 80 islands, but is currently represented by diplomats based in New Guinea.
The US reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands this year after a 30-year absence and the latest State Department announcement follows visits this month to the region, including Vanuatu, by US Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell.
Other US embassies are planned in the Pacific island nations of Kiribati and Tonga. Despite the diplomatic push, the Solomon Islands this month announced it had awarded a multi-million dollar contract to a Chinese state company to upgrade its international port in Honiara.
The US and its regional allies have worried that China has ambitions to build a naval base in the region since the Solomon Islands struck a security pact with Beijing last year.
Washington has also been working to renew agreements with the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in which it retains responsibility for the defense of the islands and gets exclusive access to most of the Pacific.
The Biden administration is seeking more than $7 billion over the next two decades for economic aid to the three countries, the State Department said last week, funds seen as key to shielding them from China’s growing influence.
(esn)
