PINA

The Marshall Islands is expected to soon enter into a renewed economic and security cooperation agreement with the U.S, a boon for American efforts to counter growing Chinese influence in the Pacific. The U.S provides economic and security assistance to the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau under a series of agreements called the Compacts of Free Association. The U.S and...

By Dame Meg Taylor, Non-Resident Distinguished fellow for the Blue Pacific, Asia Society Policy Institute Today’s geopolitical circumstance, defined by the rivalry between the United States and China, has redefined the dynamics of regional and global orders. This reality is palpable in the Pacific region, where the strategic interests of major powers and their allies intersect and undermine our own aspirations...

Geopolitical expert Geoffrey Miller has warned Cook Islands will need to be wary of the potential to be ‘star-struck’ by the attention being bestowed upon it by the world’s superpowers. Miller made the comment as Prime Minister Mark Brown met with United States President Joe Biden in Washington this week and confirmed closer ties between the nations through formal diplomatic...

In a historic milestone for Melanesian communities in Fiji, the “First-ever consultation on the formalisation of Melanesian settlements in Fiji” took place Thursday, sparking deep emotions and gratitude. Descendants of Melanesians brought to Fiji in the 1800s via the blackbirding system expressed their long-felt sense of neglect despite their vital contributions to Fiji's development. An emotional Paterisio Nunu couldn’t hold back...

A rollcall of Pacific Island nations have very different views on the release of treated radioactive wastewater. By Derek Grossman Japan’s decision last month to begin discharging treated radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean from its destroyed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is fairly unpopular in Oceania, potentially damaging Tokyo’s reputation in this increasingly strategic region. Nuclear fallout is a particularly sensitive...

Pacific Island countries attending the 2023 Asia Pacific Social Protection conference in Manila this week – used the final day of the meeting to collectively commit to implementing social protection programmes amidst other competing national priorities. Eight out of the 14 Pacific Developing Members Countries (PDMCs) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) were represented at the conference – that amongst...

Pacific countries used to struggle to collect data needed for the social protection indicator (SPI) survey that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has been publishing since 2005. But, David Abbott, an ADB consultant with extensive data analysis experience in the Pacific, has noticed a big increase in the last decade of Pacific countries collecting data for the SPI report. The Social...

A prominent pro-France leader in New Caledonia, Sonia Backès, has resigned from the French government after a resounding defeat at France's Senatorial elections four days ago. In July 2022, Backès, a member of French President Macron's Renaissance party, had been appointed assistant minister for Citizenship in French Prime minister Elisabeth Borne's government. She is also President of New Caledonia's affluent Southern...

The United States is backing a new undersea internet cable connecting several Pacific islands, according to a plan for the project, 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 U.S territories - and extend to up to 12 more Pacific islands, according...

By Dr Transform Aqorau On 26 September, a significant announcement echoed across the Pacific region: The Solomon Islands officially joined the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). As the world watches closely, this latest membership has broad implications for the island nation and perhaps for the wider Pacific context. Why is this significant? The AIIB, established in 2016, has rapidly grown to be...