US Congress urged to approve Pacific Island pacts to counter Chinese influence
- The deals grant the US military access to the land, air and sea of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau in exchange for economic aid and migration rights
- Guam’s congressional delegate pushes the House to pass a resolution calling for the US and Philippines to begin joint patrols in the South China Sea
Congress must swiftly pass legislation to implement strategic pacts with Pacific Island nations and counter Chinese aggression towards the Philippines, US House representatives from Guam and Hawaii told the foreign affairs committee on Friday.
The agreements, collectively known as the Compacts of Free Association (Cofa), grant the US military access to the land, air and sea of the three countries in exchange for economic help and migration rights for those countries’ citizens for 20 years at a time. Though the deals began in the 1980s, they have become part of the US government’s strategy to counter China’s influence efforts in the Indo-Pacific.
The Marshall Islands and Palau are two of 13 countries that still recognise Taipei over Beijing, while Micronesia has maintained diplomatic ties with Beijing since 1989.
In 2022, Micronesia rejected a sweeping diplomatic, economic and security pact with Beijing. The US government has been stepping up its engagement with the islands in recent years, launching an annual US-Pacific Islands leaders summit last year and new embassies in Tonga and the Solomon Islands.