https://www.scmp.com/rss/519440/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 Japanese and Pacific island leaders largely focused on climate change at their recent meeting even though Tokyo was keen to discuss security cooperation amid China’s growing military and economic influence in the region. The environmental hot potato was a “major priority” for Pacific island nations while Japan was setting its sights on boosting security initiatives in partnership with its allies, according to observers. At the talks held in Tokyo from Tuesday to Thursday, participants said they... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3271190/japans-talks-pacific-islands-focus-climate-security-issues-take-back-seat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3271190/japans-talks-pacific-islands-focus-climate-security-issues-take-back-seat?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jul 2024 04:00:17 +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 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 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 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 France generally gets more annual visitors than any other country (80 million-plus, at the last count), followed by Spain and the United States. But what about nations where visitor arrivals barely scrape past four figures? With one exception, the top – or bottom – 10 least-visited nations (excluding those closed to visitors because of conflict or other political ructions) are all on remote islands. And each has something exceptional to offer beyond the obvious bragging rights. 1. Tuvalu Annual... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3221911/10-least-visited-countries-monserrat-micronesia-are-remote-welcoming-and-well-worth-journey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/travel/article/3221911/10-least-visited-countries-monserrat-micronesia-are-remote-welcoming-and-well-worth-journey?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 May 2023 20:15:10 +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 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 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 There were suspicions on Friday that Samoa had taken a look at their Pool A draw – alongside reigning HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series champions Australia and Rugby World Cup Sevens runners-up New Zealand – and thought they had nothing to lose at this edition of the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens. On Saturday that was confirmed as fact as Samoans rolled into the Cup quarter-finals unbeaten and playing a thrill-a-minute style of carefree rugby. It had been enough to roll the Kiwis 24-0 on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/3198574/hong-kong-sevens-2022-surprise-packets-samoa-storm-quarter-finals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/hk-sevens/article/3198574/hong-kong-sevens-2022-surprise-packets-samoa-storm-quarter-finals?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Nov 2022 12:30:09 +0000 The Trail Runners Association of Hong Kong (TRAHK) has criticised the government for replying to its open letter to the Health Secretary with a statement that “does not address any of the questions raised”. TRAHK published the letter on October 6, asking Dr Lo Chung-mau to remove what it saw as “inconsistent, illogical, unfair restrictions” being imposed on its sport in the city. The letter, co-signed by 24 organisations, on Thursday received a response on behalf of Lo titled “Abolition of... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/3196655/hong-kong-trail-runners-accuse-government-dodging-questions-covid-19-restrictions-extremely?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/3196655/hong-kong-trail-runners-accuse-government-dodging-questions-covid-19-restrictions-extremely?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Oct 2022 11:23:34 +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 Australia won a first World Rugby Sevens Series men’s season crown on Sunday with a third-place finish at the campaign-ending Los Angeles Sevens tournament. The Aussies beat Samoa 21-7 in the third-place match to decide the title as a nine-month fight came down to the final day with Fiji, Argentina, South Africa and Australia all in the hunt for the throne. Australia became only the fifth nation to claim the title since it was first awarded in 2000, following the Kiwis, Samoa, South Africa and... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3190543/world-rugby-sevens-australia-claim-first-season?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/international-rugby/article/3190543/world-rugby-sevens-australia-claim-first-season?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Aug 2022 07:52:32 +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 There was no mention of security or policing cooperation when China released its position paper on its relations with Pacific island countries after it failed to win endorsement for a regional deal. The document – “China’s Position Paper on Mutual Respect and Common Development with Pacific Island Countries” – was published hours after a virtual summit on Monday between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterparts from 10 Pacific nations, as part of Beijing’s latest push for greater... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3179883/china-responds-pacific-island-rejection-paper-mutual-respect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3179883/china-responds-pacific-island-rejection-paper-mutual-respect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 May 2022 11:00:15 +0000 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi blamed the United States and its allies for containing China, and said Pacific island nations were not anyone’s “backyard” as he continued his tour of the region. In a meeting with Kiribati President Taneti Maamau on Friday, Wang said China was willing to support developing nations. “The world is not peaceful, the epidemic is raging, wars are frequent and poverty and backwardness can be seen everywhere. But the United States and its allies are determined to focus... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3179399/china-has-no-plans-solomons-military-base-foreign-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3179399/china-has-no-plans-solomons-military-base-foreign-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 May 2022 05:37:13 +0000 China’s ties with Solomon Islands should become “a model for mutual trust” and cooperation for its relations with the South Pacific, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Honiara at the start of a regional tour on Thursday. The 10-day, eight-nation trip is aimed at expanding China’s long-term military, economic and diplomatic ties and is seen as an effort to counter Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy. It comes after Beijing signed a security pact with Solomon Islands in April that has raised fears in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3179293/chinese-foreign-minister-points-solomons-model-mutual-trust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3179293/chinese-foreign-minister-points-solomons-model-mutual-trust?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 May 2022 11:00:14 +0000 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Pacific island nations including the Solomons, weeks after Beijing and Honiara sealed a security pact that has stirred unease in Australia and the region. Wang will also travel to Kiribati, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea, as well as East Timor, during the trip from Thursday to June 4, China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday. He will hold video meetings with officials from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Cook Islands and Niue,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3178953/chinas-foreign-minister-visit-pacific-island-nations-including?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3178953/chinas-foreign-minister-visit-pacific-island-nations-including?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 May 2022 12:00:14 +0000 The signing of the security pact between China and the Solomon Islands last month has raised concerns about the region’s security, especially in the United States, Australia and the Pacific Islands, but Japan too is keeping close tabs on recent developments. Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi will begin a three-day trip to Fiji and Palau beginning Friday, while parliamentary vice-minister for foreign affairs Uesugi Kentaro visited the Solomon Islands last week. The visits come in the wake of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3176767/china-solomon-islands-pact-japan-joins-us-australia-boosting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3176767/china-solomon-islands-pact-japan-joins-us-australia-boosting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 May 2022 09:31:26 +0000 While China’s security pact with the Solomon Islands has grabbed the headlines, the South Pacific has actually seen more of its island nations tilting towards Beijing diplomatically and for trade in recent years. The Solomons simply marks the most advanced relationship in a region that Australia and the United States have long, if tacitly, claimed to be their joint sphere of influence. The years of neglect by Washington and contempt from Canberra for the Solomons led first to the island nation’s... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3176624/how-beijing-wins-friends-and-gains-influence-south-pacific-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3176624/how-beijing-wins-friends-and-gains-influence-south-pacific-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 May 2022 13:00:12 +0000 China has slammed Australia for opposing its security pact with Solomon Islands, calling it a colonialist myth-driven violation of sovereignty and saying Canberra had no right to lay down any “red line”. This came as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the South Pacific nation would be a “red line” for his government, days after Beijing and Honiara confirmed the signing of the deal without revealing details. Talk of China building a naval base on Solomon... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3175883/pacific-not-someones-backyard-china-hits-back-australia-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3175883/pacific-not-someones-backyard-china-hits-back-australia-over?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Apr 2022 16:00:29 +0000 The Solomon Islands’ new security pact with China should be a cause for concern for its 680,000 citizens, given suggestions it was rushed by the Honiara government with little consultation and the potential for it to be abused to curb domestic dissent, analysts say. Nonetheless, the deal happened due to the inability of the Pacific nation’s traditional benefactor states – in particular Australia – in addressing long-standing concerns about underdevelopment and in mitigating climate change, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3175211/australia-china-relations-solomon-islands-may-lean-less-west-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3175211/australia-china-relations-solomon-islands-may-lean-less-west-new?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Apr 2022 20:00:24 +0000