US-China battle for influence prompts Donald Trump to welcome leaders of South Pacific island nations to the White House

The presidents of Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia made a historic visit as the US tries to shore up its power base in the Indo-Pacific

Experts say China’s growing economic ties with those states have Washington worried that Beijing might eventually displace it as the major power in the region

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The USS Barry in the South Pacific in 2017. Palau, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia are part of the Compact of Free Association, which gives the US military exclusive access to their airspace and territorial waters. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 11:14pm, 21 May 2019Updated: 2:58pm, 22 May 2019

US President Donald Trump for the first time hosted the leaders of three Pacific island nations at the White House on Tuesday, as part of Washington’s diplomatic push to counter China’s bid for influence in the region.

The brief but symbolic meeting demonstrated US support at a time when Washington is pushing back against expanding Chinese influence in the Pacific.

This was Trump’s first meeting with President Tommy Remengesau of Palau, President Hilda Heine of the Marshall Islands and newly elected President David Panuelo of the Federated States of Micronesia. Their nations are part of the Compact of Free Association, which gives the US military exclusive access to their airspace and territorial waters in exchange for financial assistance.

After, the leaders issued a joint statement to “jointly reaffirm our interest in a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”.

“It is in our mutual interest that the Pacific Ocean remains an important and vibrant corridor for maritime trade,” the statement said in a possible reference to the established US position that China has violated the jurisdiction of countries in the region through its naval and commercial maritime activities.