PINA

Asia and the Pacific has a “narrow window” to protect its hard-won gains, as climate change supercharges disasters and impacts billions there, the UN’s development body spanning the vast region said on Tuesday. According to a new report from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in 2022 alone, over 140 disasters struck the region,...

Antony Blinken on Wednesday became the first U.S secretary of state to visit Tonga, dedicating a new U.S embassy and warning South Pacific nations about the perils of “predatory” Chinese investment. As part of a drive to build Washington's influence across the region and to counter Beijing's growing clout, Blinken touched down in Nuku'alofa on a diplomatic charm offensive. “We're a...

U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken touched down Wednesday in Tonga, where he will dedicate a new embassy that is part of a drive to build influence in the South Pacific. He is the first top U.S diplomat to visit the Pacific island nation, and will later travel to New Zealand and Australia as the United States jostles with China's...

French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in Vanuatu today as part of his Pacific tour to discuss his Indo-Pacific policy and recommit France to the region. Sources say this trip is extremely significant because no French president has ever previously visited non-French territory While in Vanuatu, together with Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, he will attend the Melanesian Arts Festival tomorrow afternoon...

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says France’s President Emmanuel Macron’s visit tomorrow is a milestone in the nation’s global engagement. Marape said Macron’s visit marked the first time a French president has visited an independent country in the Pacific, showcasing PNG’s growing connectivity with the world. “This historic visit by President Macron exemplifies the profound connectivity that Papua New...

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are launching a new partnership today to support four countries - Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu - to increase their resilience to climate change. Representatives from each country and both organisations are meeting in Suva, Fiji and online to begin planning the implementation of the five-year project. An...

French President Emmanuel Macron urged "compatriots" in New Caledonia to forge a common future on Tuesday during a landmark visit, more than a year after the overseas territory's disputed vote to remain part of France. Macron faces a significant challenge charting an acceptable path for both French loyalists and the pro-independence, indigenous Kanaks who widely boycotted the December 2021 referendum...

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said on Tuesday he was forced to cancel an official visit to China after enduring a minor head injury that required him to stay at home. The visit was announced earlier on Tuesday by the Chinese embassy in Fiji, which said Rabuka would attend the opening of the World University Games in Chengdu, alongside Chinese...

Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy held constructive discussions with Solomon Islands’ Ministers during his first day in Honiara. In meetings with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade Jeremiah Manele, Minister Conroy welcomed the opportunity to discuss the Solomon Islands-Australia economic and security partnership, which is delivering jobs and building...

Countries in the Asia-Pacific region need to drastically increase their investments in disaster warning systems and other tools to counter rising risks from climate change, a United Nations report said Tuesday. The report issued by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, or ESCAP, says nearly US$145 billion is needed to set up systems to minimise deaths...