https://www.scmp.com/rss/519178/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters Far-flung Pacific nations ⁠are reeling from the impact of a global ⁠fuel crisis as authorities scramble to manage energy supplies while families must grapple ⁠with fuel curbs and higher costs for food and access to healthcare. Global oil supplies are running down as the US-Israeli war with Iran disrupts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Aid agencies have warned that the crisis has driven up prices... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350937/pacific-islanders-skip-food-medicine-amid-global-fuel-shortage-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3350937/pacific-islanders-skip-food-medicine-amid-global-fuel-shortage-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 01:37:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US military forces boarded a third sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea in an effort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. An organisation that tracks ship movements said the vessel was the only tanker left to pursue after more than a dozen fled the coast of Venezuela following the capture of the South American country’s authoritarian then-president, Nicolas Maduro. The boarding is the 10th interdiction of an oil... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344520/us-boards-third-venezuela-linked-oil-tanker-indian-ocean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3344520/us-boards-third-venezuela-linked-oil-tanker-indian-ocean?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 21:46:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Dozens of oil tankers suspected of smuggling contraband crude for Russia and Iran have been using a beachside office in the tropical South Pacific to cover their tracks, an analysis of sanctions data has revealed. Nestled next to a pizza shop in the far-flung Cook Islands is the modest headquarters of one of the fastest-growing shipping registries in the world. Without ever setting foot in the palm-fringed microstate, foreign shipowners can pay Maritime Cook Islands to sail under its... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3334856/cook-islands-pacific-haven-sanctions-dodging-russian-and-iranian-oil-tankers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3334856/cook-islands-pacific-haven-sanctions-dodging-russian-and-iranian-oil-tankers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 04:50:09 +0000 SCMP SCMP Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. From reusable rockets to deep-sea dives: how China closes tech gap on the West China sees outer space and the polar regions as “strategic new frontiers” vital to its future security – and is investing accordingly. 2. Chinese firms in EU report solid performance despite mounting uncertainties Most Chinese companies are faring well in the European Union... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332510/how-china-closing-tech-gap-west-rare-earth-mineral-find-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3332510/how-china-closing-tech-gap-west-rare-earth-mineral-find-scmp-daily-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 13:15:08 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China and the Cook Islands have wrapped up their first joint scientific expedition in the South Pacific, a region emerging as a focal point in the geopolitical race for rare earths. The 4,000-tonne Chinese marine research vessel Da Yang Hao, one of the most advanced in China, docked at the Avatiu port near the capital Avarua on Saturday, about one month after a US research ship conducted a three-week survey in the region. Welcoming the Da Yang Hao to port, Sun Shuxian, the Chinese vice-minister... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332379/china-and-cook-islands-team-sea-survey-rare-earths-race-expands-oceans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3332379/china-and-cook-islands-team-sea-survey-rare-earths-race-expands-oceans?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 02:00:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press New Zealand’s defence minister warned in an interview that small countries in the South Pacific face growing pressure from great power competition for their rare minerals and fisheries wealth, and that more action was needed from regional neighbours to help in preserving island nations’ sovereignty. Judith Collins, who also oversees New Zealand’s intelligence and space portfolios, spoke on Wednesday before departing for Washington, where she will meet Trump administration officials including... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3329139/new-zealand-seeks-us-help-protect-pacific-china-over-rare-minerals-fisheries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3329139/new-zealand-seeks-us-help-protect-pacific-china-over-rare-minerals-fisheries?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Oct 2025 11:25:59 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow What began as a quiet series of infrastructure deals between the Cook Islands and China has erupted into a diplomatic stand-off, with New Zealand halting millions in aid and Pacific leaders accusing Wellington of “patronising” behaviour. New Zealand’s abrupt suspension of aid has cast a harsh spotlight on the country’s growing unease over China’s expanding Pacific footprint, drawing warnings from regional observers that the move risks appearing “coercive rather than constructive”. Wellington... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316148/cook-islands-aid-row-spotlights-chinas-pacific-outreach-new-zealands-mounting-unease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316148/cook-islands-aid-row-spotlights-chinas-pacific-outreach-new-zealands-mounting-unease?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 00:00:10 +0000 Nicole Cheah Nicole Cheah Pacific island nations are racing to enhance marine conservation, establishing sweeping “no-take” zones and pledging to sustainably manage vast swathes of their territorial waters despite facing limited resources and geopolitical pressure. Among them, Samoa last month unveiled a ban on fishing, mining and other extractive activities over 30 per cent of its ocean territory by 2027. The move will create 36,000 sq km (13,900 square miles) of marine protected areas (MPAs) – more than 12 times the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315979/pacific-island-nations-tap-indigenous-know-how-safeguard-ocean-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3315979/pacific-island-nations-tap-indigenous-know-how-safeguard-ocean-health?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 01:30:16 +0000 Orange Wang,Alyssa Chen Orange Wang,Alyssa Chen China has “no fundamental conflict of interest” with New Zealand, President Xi Jinping told New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Beijing on Friday while calling for the constructive management of differences. “Both sides should adhere to mutual respect, seek common ground while acknowledging differences, and correctly view and manage their differences and disagreements,” Xi was quoted as saying by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Just ahead of Luxon’s arrival in the Chinese capital... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315257/china-new-zealand-have-no-conflict-interest-xi-jinping-tells-christopher-luxon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315257/china-new-zealand-have-no-conflict-interest-xi-jinping-tells-christopher-luxon?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jun 2025 10:57:42 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown on Friday condemned “patronising” neighbour New Zealand, which halted aid to the Pacific island nation after it signed a slew of deals with China. Major partner New Zealand has halted millions of dollars in aid to the Cook Islands, citing a “lack of consultation” over agreements struck with China in February. Self-governing Cook Islands has a “free association” pact with New Zealand, its former colonial ruler, which provides budgetary assistance as well as... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3315155/cook-islands-defends-china-deals-after-us11-million-new-zealand-aid-pause?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3315155/cook-islands-defends-china-deals-after-us11-million-new-zealand-aid-pause?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jun 2025 04:20:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters New Zealand has suspended millions of dollars in budget funding to the Cook Islands, it said on Thursday, as the relationship between the two constitutionally-linked countries continues to deteriorate amid the island group’s deepening ties with China. A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement that New Zealand had decided in early June to suspend payment of NZ$18.2 million (US$11 million) in core sector support funding for 2025-26 as this “relies on a high-trust... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314987/new-zealand-suspends-us1097-million-cook-islands-funding-over-china-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3314987/new-zealand-suspends-us1097-million-cook-islands-funding-over-china-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:58:30 +0000 China and New Zealand should become partners of mutual trust and address some specific differences through constructive dialogue, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his counterpart Winston Peters at a meeting in Beijing on Wednesday. “The two sides should maintain a correct understanding of each other … and further develop friendly cooperation and become partners who trust and support each other’s achievements,” Wang said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout. “For some specific... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3300336/new-zealand-fm-meets-chinas-wang-yi-beijing-raises-pla-live-fire-drills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3300336/new-zealand-fm-meets-chinas-wang-yi-beijing-raises-pla-live-fire-drills?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2025 07:00:33 +0000 China’s engagement with the Pacific has once again been placed under the microscope after the announcement that it signed a “strategic partnership” with the Cook Islands. This comes after a security agreement China signed with the Solomon Islands in 2022 and a proposed agreement involving 10 Pacific countries that was put on hold after objections from some Pacific states, significant pushback from Australia and tensions with the United States. Unsurprisingly, the news of the deal between China... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3299560/new-zealand-need-not-fear-chinas-growing-ties-pacific-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3299560/new-zealand-need-not-fear-chinas-growing-ties-pacific-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Feb 2025 21:30:07 +0000 It’s that time of year again. Guidebook publishers, travel companies and online influencers have all been busy compiling their lists of must-see destinations for 2024. Old favourites await rediscovery, up-and-coming hotspots vie with “undiscovered gems” and “sustainable havens” for inclusion, and, according to at least one industry player, some tourist attractions should be avoided altogether. Forbes In its 24 Best Places to Travel in 2024, global media brand Forbes leads with the gorgeous... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3244143/where-travel-2024-melbourne-malta-utah-udaipur-according-expedia-lonely-planet-american-express?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3244143/where-travel-2024-melbourne-malta-utah-udaipur-according-expedia-lonely-planet-american-express?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Dec 2023 11:15:14 +0000 After 30 years of debate, a climate change reparation fund was finally adopted on the first day of the Cop28 meeting in the United Arab Emirates on November 30. It is designed to compensate vulnerable small nations and allow them to cope with the impacts of climate change – but a recent agreement between Australia and the small Pacific nation of Tuvalu provides a different and what some see as a worrying template. Although the “Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union” – which in the Tuvalu language... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3243631/australia-tuvalu-treaty-sparks-migration-fears-threat-sovereignty-amid-climate-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3243631/australia-tuvalu-treaty-sparks-migration-fears-threat-sovereignty-amid-climate-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Dec 2023 09:25:45 +0000 The Pacific Games opened in a new China-funded stadium in Solomon Islands to thunderous drumming and fireworks, in an event where the sport is a sideshow to many outsiders who are instead scrutinising the race between China and the United States for dominance over an archipelago that’s surrounded by strategic sea lanes. Five thousand athletes from 24 Pacific Islands are competing at the Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from November 19 to December 2. Solomon Islands’ pro-China Prime Minister... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3242249/let-games-begin-solomon-islands-hosts-pacific-games-sports-event-mostly-paid-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3242249/let-games-begin-solomon-islands-hosts-pacific-games-sports-event-mostly-paid-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Nov 2023 04:00:11 +0000 The leaders of Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands will not attend this week’s annual Pacific Islands Forum, posing a challenge for regional unity amid competition for influence between China and the United States. The Melanesian nations, which have been courted by China and the US for security and economic ties in the strategic South Pacific, will instead send ministers to the 18-member bloc meeting opening in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, on Monday. Papua New Guinea will be represented by... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3240480/cracks-emerge-pacific-island-unity-3-leaders-skip-annual-bloc-meeting-amid-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3240480/cracks-emerge-pacific-island-unity-3-leaders-skip-annual-bloc-meeting-amid-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:27:17 +0000 China’s declining aid to the South Pacific is increasingly targeted towards its political allies in the region as appetite there for Chinese credit declines and competition grows with the US for influence, an independent Australian think tank reported on Tuesday. Chinese overall economic influence among the 14 aid-dependent island nations in the region is losing ground because of better loan deals being offered by US allies, especially Australia, the Sydney-based Lowy Institute said in its... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3239795/chinas-pacific-aid-mostly-goes-its-allies-australian-think-tank-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3239795/chinas-pacific-aid-mostly-goes-its-allies-australian-think-tank-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Oct 2023 07:03:35 +0000 A deadline of strategic importance for Washington passed without a breakthrough on Saturday night. As lawmakers remained occupied with averting a federal government shutdown just hours before a midnight deadline, the Compact of Free Association (Cofa) pact that had steered ties between Washington and the Marshall Islands for decades expired on September 30. No public announcement has been made on the renewal. The US State Department did not respond to requests for comment on the status of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3236569/us-deal-marshall-islands-lapses-without-renewal-talks-continue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3236569/us-deal-marshall-islands-lapses-without-renewal-talks-continue?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Oct 2023 20:50:44 +0000 As US President Joe Biden hosted leaders of the Pacific island states at the White House on Monday, CNN ran this little news item: “The US is formally establishing diplomatic relations with a pair of Pacific Island nations Monday, recognising the Cook Islands and Niue for the first time.” The 770-word story raises all sorts of questions: Did the two island states fight for independence? Since both have long been constituent parts of “the Realm of New Zealand”, did Wellington agree with their... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236275/what-independence-really-means-two-tiny-pacific-island-states?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236275/what-independence-really-means-two-tiny-pacific-island-states?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Sep 2023 13:00:11 +0000 The United States is backing a new undersea internet cable connecting several Pacific islands, according to a plan for the project seen by Reuters, boosting Washington’s interests in a region where it is vying for influence with China. The Central Pacific Cable would connect American Samoa with Guam – two US territories – and extend to up to 12 more Pacific islands, according to a document showing the cable route. Guam is home to a key US military base. Details of the cable were displayed at an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3236070/us-throws-weight-behind-new-undersea-internet-cable-rival-china-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3236070/us-throws-weight-behind-new-undersea-internet-cable-rival-china-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Sep 2023 03:42:07 +0000 The leader of Solomon Islands said he spurned a US-Pacific Islands summit this week to avoid being subjected to a “lecture” about the United States’ qualities. The pro-China prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, also said he had “more important” business to deal with at home where he had a heavy legislative agenda in parliament. “I am not going to sit down there and listen to people who lecture me, no way,” he told reporters on his return home on Wednesday evening in a news conference shown on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3236051/solomon-islands-pm-sogavare-says-he-snubbed-us-pacific-summit-avoid-lecture?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3236051/solomon-islands-pm-sogavare-says-he-snubbed-us-pacific-summit-avoid-lecture?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Sep 2023 01:17:47 +0000 When China announced in April last year that it had signed a security pact with the Solomon Islands, an archipelago of about 1,000 tropical islands and atolls, it sounded like it had achieved a diplomatic and strategic breakthrough in the South Pacific. Australia and the United States were alarmed. Washington sent a high-power delegation to convince Honiara, unsuccessfully, to scrap the deal. Pundits and politicians in Australia reacted in hysteria, with one even threatening to bomb the Solomons... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236016/why-beijings-security-pact-solomons-has-been-huge-blunder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3236016/why-beijings-security-pact-solomons-has-been-huge-blunder?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:00:16 +0000 The White House on Monday welcomed leaders from 16 Pacific island nations and territories, its latest high-profile response to China’s decades-long strategic focus on the region. Speaking ahead of the US-Pacific Islands Forum Summit and flanked by his guests, US President Joe Biden contended that Washington had delivered on last year’s promise of rebooting diplomatic ties with the region. “One of the great opportunities for security, prosperity and dignity for all our people, no matter where... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3235792/joe-biden-unveils-pacific-nations-aid-embassies-us-hosted-summit-solomon-islands-pm-sits-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3235792/joe-biden-unveils-pacific-nations-aid-embassies-us-hosted-summit-solomon-islands-pm-sits-out?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Sep 2023 22:25:22 +0000 If you are interested in world politics, the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific, China and the United States, what’s the most enlightening source you have come across recently? Well, let me share mine. But bear with me because you will probably roll your eyes and yawn. That was my reaction because the title itself put me half to sleep when an erudite source referenced it to me: “[US] Senate Energy Committee Hearing on Compact of Free Association Amendments Act.” I know, the title doesn’t invite... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3235752/claims-us-over-central-pacific-now-rival-those-beijing-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3235752/claims-us-over-central-pacific-now-rival-those-beijing-south-china-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Sep 2023 13:00:20 +0000 US President Joe Biden was set to announce the opening of new embassies in the Cook Islands and Niue on Monday as his administration aims to demonstrate to Pacific island leaders that it remains committed to increasing American presence in the region. The announcement about the new diplomatic missions in the South Pacific comes as Biden prepares to welcome leaders to Washington for the two-day US-Pacific Island Forum Summit. Talks are expected to heavily focus on the impact of climate change in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3235670/tiny-cook-islands-niue-get-us-embassies-amid-bidens-powered-pacific-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3235670/tiny-cook-islands-niue-get-us-embassies-amid-bidens-powered-pacific-push?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Sep 2023 03:06:09 +0000 When the White House hosts Pacific island leaders on Monday, exactly a year after their first-ever US-led summit in September 2022, President Joe Biden will follow up on his commitment to raise American engagement in the region to the “next level”, according to senior administration officials. “You will see, over the course of a few days, our commitment to reopen embassies,” said one official. “USAID is back in force in the Pacific. The Peace Corps has arrived in many of the islands that they’ve... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3235655/us-back-force-pacific-biden-hosts-regional-leaders-summit-vows-reopen-embassies-following-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3235655/us-back-force-pacific-biden-hosts-regional-leaders-summit-vows-reopen-embassies-following-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Sep 2023 17:13:18 +0000 A second summit between US President Joe Biden and Pacific Island nations is slated to take place next week in Washington, a top official at an intergovernmental group from the region announced on Monday, underscoring the outsize influence wielded by the small but geopolitically vital countries of Oceania. “Currently our senior officials are in negotiations with Washington over the outcomes that we would like to see when we meet with President Biden next week,” said Henry Puna, secretary general... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3234994/joe-biden-meet-pacific-island-nations-leaders-seek-capitalise-us-china-attention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3234994/joe-biden-meet-pacific-island-nations-leaders-seek-capitalise-us-china-attention?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Sep 2023 22:00:36 +0000 An armed Taiwanese coastguard vessel has made a rare port call in Japan amid Beijing’s growing military pressure in the region. Japan, which switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing from Taipei in 1972, has previously been extremely cautious in its policy on cross-strait relations and largely reluctant to openly confront mainland China over Taiwan. An observer said the port call represented more robust unofficial ties between Taiwan and Japan as Tokyo became increasingly wary of a possible... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3230541/taiwanese-coastguard-ship-docks-japan-sign-closer-unofficial-ties-and-mainland-chinas-growing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3230541/taiwanese-coastguard-ship-docks-japan-sign-closer-unofficial-ties-and-mainland-chinas-growing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Aug 2023 12:00:25 +0000 New Zealand’s conciliatory approach towards China is increasingly coming under threat, analysts said, as Wellington faces pressure from its Western allies to jointly counter Beijing’s growing influence. Ahead of his visit to Beijing last month, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins toned down criticisms relating to human rights abuses, tensions over Taiwan, and China’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In Beijing, Hipkins met Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3228136/new-zealand-china-relations-wellingtons-weakest-link-image-focus-western-allies-pursue-hawkish-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3228136/new-zealand-china-relations-wellingtons-weakest-link-image-focus-western-allies-pursue-hawkish-line?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jul 2023 01:30:16 +0000 US President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated a senior career diplomat to be US ambassador to the Marshall Islands, a strategic Pacific territory that has become a focus for competition with China. The nominee, Laura Stone, is currently deputy coordinator at the State Department’s office of Covid-19 response and previously served as deputy assistant secretary for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives. A Chinese speaker, Stone also worked previously as coordinator of efforts to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3227372/biden-nominates-china-specialist-be-ambassador-strategic-marshall-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3227372/biden-nominates-china-specialist-be-ambassador-strategic-marshall-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jul 2023 23:30:44 +0000 South Korea’s recent summit with Pacific island nations reflects its wider strategy of becoming a “global pivotal state” with a more expansive role beyond East Asia, even as analysts warn that its apparent tilt towards the United States risks a collision with China. The two-day inaugural Korea-Pacific Islands summit held in Seoul last month saw agreements on expanding cooperation in economic development, security and responding to climate change. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3224373/south-koreas-overwhelming-pro-us-pacific-tilt-triggers-alarm-china-could-become-nightmare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3224373/south-koreas-overwhelming-pro-us-pacific-tilt-triggers-alarm-china-could-become-nightmare?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Jun 2023 01:30:11 +0000 South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hosted the country’s first summit with leaders of Pacific islands on Monday, as Seoul seeks to boost its influence in a region that has become the focus of intense geopolitical rivalry. As the leaders agreed to increase efforts to fight climate change, South Korea will also consider additional funding initiatives to support the Pacific region, Yoon’s office said. Yoon launched his administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy last year, pledging to foster a “free,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3222221/south-korea-hosts-its-first-summit-pacific-island-leaders-amid-concerns-over-chinas-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3222221/south-korea-hosts-its-first-summit-pacific-island-leaders-amid-concerns-over-chinas-security?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 May 2023 12:26:41 +0000 Even as India emerges as a US partner in countering China, New Delhi is eyeing to be a “champion” of the Global South, aided by its historical links with the Pacific that give it a level of goodwill not even the US and Australia can match, analysts have said. During a summit with Pacific leaders in Port Moresby on Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told members of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation that Delhi would be a reliable partner to small island states amid... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3221558/india-seeks-become-global-south-champion-us-china-rivalry-heats-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3221558/india-seeks-become-global-south-champion-us-china-rivalry-heats-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 May 2023 01:30:13 +0000 Six months after US President Joe Biden hosted over a dozen Pacific leaders and envoys at the White House and pledged generous funding, experts say the region is carefully watching for the follow-through as Congress haggles over slashing foreign aid. Announced in September, the Pacific Partnership Strategy – intended to help the US catch up with China’s growing influence in the region – committed to spending more than US$800 million on priorities like climate change, fishing disputes and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3218353/us-congress-debates-budget-pacific-island-nations-are-watching-concern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3218353/us-congress-debates-budget-pacific-island-nations-are-watching-concern?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Apr 2023 16:56:22 +0000 A move to decriminalise gay sex in the Cook Islands is a welcome step, but LGBTQ people in the Pacific Islands region still lack basic rights and risk discrimination – or worse – at every turn, activists say. Lawmakers in the tiny island nation of 15,000 people passed a bill on April 14 to decriminalise same-sex sexual relations, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison, although the law was rarely, if ever, enforced. The measure is expected to become law on June 1. Announcing his... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3218161/lgbtq-rights-still-lag-pacific-region-despite-cook-islands-move-lift-gay-sex-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3218161/lgbtq-rights-still-lag-pacific-region-despite-cook-islands-move-lift-gay-sex-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Apr 2023 21:00:08 +0000 In May 2022, while at work as a photographer for Ocean Eco Adventures, Ollie Clarke was exploring the depths of Ningaloo Reef, off Western Australia. Swimming just a few feet away from him was a whale shark surrounded by a huge bait ball. A bait ball is a spherical, dense swarm of often panicked fish, assumed when large predators are nearby and there’s no nook or cranny to cower in. Fish hide behind one another in a thick, ball-like shape, which exposes the fewest to the predator. “Whale sharks... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3215915/underwater-photography-how-photographers-take-incredible-photos-ocean-life-and-bring-light-issues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3215915/underwater-photography-how-photographers-take-incredible-photos-ocean-life-and-bring-light-issues?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Apr 2023 10:15:09 +0000 Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi discussed global security and China’s presence in the Pacific with the leader of the Solomon Islands on Sunday, in what was the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister to the island state. Hayashi, who met Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in Honiara, also expressed Japan’s view on how the islands can “achieve long-term development while maintaining autonomy”, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Hayashi said Japan was “watching the developments” of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3214064/japan-fm-visits-solomon-islands-discusses-china-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3214064/japan-fm-visits-solomon-islands-discusses-china-security?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Mar 2023 09:19:31 +0000 China and a group of South Pacific island countries could start talks this year toward their first formal trade agreement, according to an official from a regional network of nations. But while such talks could provide a boost to Beijing’s offshore economic ambitions as US influence spreads in the region, a potential pact is not expected any time soon. The idea of a trade deal is in its “embryonic stage”, said Zarak Khan, director of programmes and initiatives with the secretariat of the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3213624/china-south-pacific-trade-talks-being-explored-and-islands-want-gauge-chinas-appetite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3213624/china-south-pacific-trade-talks-being-explored-and-islands-want-gauge-chinas-appetite?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Mar 2023 20:30:09 +0000 With Covid-19 travel restrictions largely a thing of the past for Australian and New Zealand tourists, Pacific destinations are enjoying the return of visitors – albeit at a slower pace than other parts of the world. Tourism in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands was hit hard by the pandemic, but patience and resilience are starting to pay off. Foreign currencies are once again circulating in those small economies. Recently, Kiribati welcomed its first international cruise ship since... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3212700/pushback-chinese-project-fiji-shows-opposition-mega-tourism-rising-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3212700/pushback-chinese-project-fiji-shows-opposition-mega-tourism-rising-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Mar 2023 21:00:15 +0000 The Biden administration is ploughing ahead with plans to reopen the US embassy in the Solomon Islands in a bid to counter China’s increasing assertiveness in the Pacific. The State Department has informed Congress that it will establish soon an interim embassy in the Solomons’ capital of Honiara on the site of a former US consular property. It said the modest embassy will at first be staffed by two American diplomats and five local employees at a cost of US$1.8 million per year. A more... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3205615/us-moves-reopen-solomon-islands-embassy-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3205615/us-moves-reopen-solomon-islands-embassy-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jan 2023 20:11:07 +0000 Country Business Reports interviews and articles by Discovery Reports Discoveryreports.com In an ever-changing market environment, Metis Global Group offers one constant: a never-changing commitment to fulfil the lifelong needs of the affluent. With this strategic positioning, the company carved out a niche market in trust services among Northeast Asia’s middle class. Within the next 10 years, Metis aims to extend its footprint throughout Asia, determined to serve the long-unmet needs of a... https://www.scmp.com/business-reports/country-reports/topics/hong-kong-business-report-2022/article/3200511/metis-unlocks-vast-potential-diversified-financial-services-among-asias-affluent?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business-reports/country-reports/topics/hong-kong-business-report-2022/article/3200511/metis-unlocks-vast-potential-diversified-financial-services-among-asias-affluent?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Nov 2022 07:00:13 +0000 The US strategy to strengthen ties with Pacific nations is expected to go some way in helping the region tackle its challenges even as the support may appear modest compared to China’s, analysts said, but any efforts to undertake defence cooperation would be less welcomed. Last month, after hosting a summit with leaders of the region, the United States released its first strategy for ties with Pacific nations, pledging to help them fight climate change and rebuff what it called China’s “economic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3195586/biden-boosts-pacific-climate-aid-region-remains-cautious-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3195586/biden-boosts-pacific-climate-aid-region-remains-cautious-over?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Oct 2022 12:45:11 +0000 Washington unveiled an US$810 million package for Pacific island nations on Thursday, the second day of a two-day summit aimed at addressing climate change, bolstering economic assistance, fisheries, trade and investment and providing other tangible support to a region where China is making growing strides. 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194307/us-seeks-reassure-pacific-island-nations-us810-million-package?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194307/us-seeks-reassure-pacific-island-nations-us810-million-package?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:17:14 +0000 China is likely to regard this week’s US-Pacific summit as an attempt to increase the pressure on Beijing in the region, analysts have said. The two-day summit with 14 Pacific island governments in Washington began on Wednesday, the first event of its kind, and is expected to conclude with a joint partnership declaration covering areas such as trade, security, and climate change. Total investment under the partnership is expected to reach over US$860 million, according to The Washington... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194299/china-facing-increased-competition-us-pacific-washington-hosts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194299/china-facing-increased-competition-us-pacific-washington-hosts?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Sep 2022 13:15:06 +0000 The US has pledged to roll out a strategic plan and “big dollar” assistance at a two-day Pacific Island Nations summit that opened on Wednesday amid hopes that the pomp and “deliverables” of a state visit in Washington will prove a match for China’s growing clout and presence in the Indo-Pacific. The region has emerged as a high-profile wrestling pit between the US and China. But critics say the US took the small but strategically important Pacific Island nations for granted until China... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3194184/pacific-island-nations-summit-us-hopes-restore-influence-region-eroded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3194184/pacific-island-nations-summit-us-hopes-restore-influence-region-eroded?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2022 21:47:07 +0000 The United States will announce “big dollar” assistance to Pacific island nations when President Joe Biden hosts a first-of-its-kind summit with their leaders on Wednesday, a gathering Washington hopes will help counter China’s expanding influence in a new theatre of geopolitical competition. Leaders from 12 Pacific island states are expected to take part in a two-day summit in Washington, with two more sending representatives, and Australia and New Zealand attending as observers. White House... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194151/us-vows-big-dollar-help-pacific-islands-it-seeks-counter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3194151/us-vows-big-dollar-help-pacific-islands-it-seeks-counter?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2022 12:28:49 +0000 When president Barack Obama’s administration announced the United States’ plan to withdraw from the South Pacific Tuna Treaty in January 2016, the threat left signatories disappointed and policy watchers puzzled. The fishing accord – described as “one of the most important aid and political arrangements” of Washington’s relationship with 16 Pacific Island nations and territories – dictates how much US vessels should pay for access to exclusive economic zones in the waters around the islands. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3185869/more-just-tuna-us-casts-wider-net-compete-china-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3185869/more-just-tuna-us-casts-wider-net-compete-china-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Jul 2022 22:42:04 +0000 Pacific island nations, courted by China and the United States, put the superpowers on notice, telling the world’s two biggest carbon emitters to take more action on climate change while pledging unity in the face of a growing geopolitical contest. Leaders at a four-day summit of the Pacific Islands Forum, meeting in Fiji’s capital Suva, bristled at a Chinese attempt to split some of the nations off into a trade and security agreement, while Washington pledged more financial and diplomatic... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3185593/pacific-nations-call-us-china-do-more-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3185593/pacific-nations-call-us-china-do-more-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Jul 2022 12:45:05 +0000 It almost feels like a scene out of the movie musical South Pacific. Our landing craft – a World War II vintage front-loader – alights onto the sugar-sand beach with a soft thump, and we step off into a crowd of musicians and women with armfuls of flower leis. “Bienvenue a Raivavae,” says one, as I stoop to accept one of the fragrant leis, made with tiaré gardenia blossoms, basil shoots and local flora. Raivavae (pronounced rye-vah-vah-eh), is the third stop of our tour through French... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3182597/welcomed-leis-and-ukuleles-extraordinary-south-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3182597/welcomed-leis-and-ukuleles-extraordinary-south-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jun 2022 23:15:09 +0000