US seeks to reassure Pacific island nations with US$810 million package
- Aid plan is unveiled during two-day summit and includes funding for initiatives already in the pipeline and a global infrastructure scheme
- Programme also includes attempts to show diplomatic and symbolic support for the region, where China has stepped up activities
The new funding includes monies for initiatives already in the pipeline, capped by a 10-year US$600 million Economic Assistance Agreement pending in the Congress for cleaning dirty waters under the South Pacific Tuna Treaty.
“A great deal of the history of our world is going to be written in the Indo-Pacific over the coming years and decades. And the Pacific islands are a critical voice in shaping that future,” US President Joe Biden told representatives from 14 Pacific island nations seated at a large rectangular table.
“And that’s why my administration has made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with your countries.”
The package, touted by the administration as a “new milestone in US-Pacific cooperation”, also provides US$50 million for a global infrastructure and investment programme to boost economic recovery, including tourism, for island nations battered by the pandemic.
In addition to the spending, an area where Washington is unlikely to match Beijing, Thursday’s initiative also tries to provide symbolic and diplomatic support for the region. Among those plans are a new USAID mission in Fiji and a renewed Peace Corps presence in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu.