Ahead of historic US-Pacific meeting, climate change and China loom large, say analysts

President Joe Biden will host first-ever summit with Pacific leaders in Washington next month, amid Beijing’s growing regional influence

The islands ‘would be happy’ to work with either, say analysts, given the existential threat faced as the planet heats up and sea levels rise

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Children sit in front of a house next to a flooding sea wall in Fiji last month. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:30am, 14 Aug 2022

As US President Joe Biden is set to host a first-ever meeting with Pacific leaders at the White House next month, island nations will be watching how seriously his administration takes their calls for help to combat climate change, analysts said.

The summit was announced earlier this month by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who was among a string of senior Biden officials to visit the Pacific recently, amid Washington’s bid to counter Beijing’s growing influence in the region.

“(The) meeting will be a historic opportunity with the United States and Pacific island countries to hear and listen, the Pacific way,” she said.

During her trip to Samoa, Tonga and the Solomon Islands, Sherman said strong ties with Pacific nations was a priority for the Biden administration, and promised the United States would double down on its investment in the region.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in the Solomon Islands on August 7. Photo: AFP

But while she talked of climate change being an “existential” threat to the Pacific, no concrete policies or aid schemes were announced during the trip, analysts noted.

Ying Zhu, director of the Australian Centre for Asian Business at the University of South Australia, said that without tangible outcomes, “it is hard to get real strong commitment from the Pacific islands towards the US”.

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