US, Japan and allies form new Pacific group to blunt China’s influence
- Australia, New Zealand and the UK are also part of the Partners in the Blue Pacific forum that will help Pacific island nations tackle challenges like climate change
- The US intends to invite related foreign ministers later this year to review progress amid concerns about Beijing’s growing clout in the region
Under a mechanism named “Partners in the Blue Pacific,” the five countries said they will pursue “more effective and efficient” ways to deal with challenges such as “growing pressure on the rules-based free and open international order.”
“As our countries – Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States – continue to support prosperity, resilience, and security in the Pacific, we too must harness our collective strength through closer cooperation,” they said in a statement.
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The treaty reportedly allows the deployment of Chinese police, military and other armed personnel, as well as the docking of the Asian power’s military ships in the islands.
According to Australian media, China has also sought to persuade Pacific island countries to sign an agreement covering a wide spectrum of issues including trade, security and police cooperation, and fisheries, but failed in its attempt.
The new initiative will aim to “deliver results” for the island countries and forge closer connections with the Pacific Islands Forum – the premier driver of regional action, the five countries added.
The US intends to invite related foreign ministers later this year to review progress, according to the statement.
In the broader Indo-Pacific region, China has been militarising outposts in disputed areas of the South China Sea and carrying out repeated incursions into Japanese waters around the Diaoyus, a group of East China Sea islets controlled by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.