Leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Fiji will contend with internal squabbling and heat on Australia over climate change issues.
| US Vice President Kamala Harris will announce the establishment of new US embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, the appointment of the first US envoy to the region and the bringing of the Peace Corps back to the region during a speech to the Pacific Islands Forum, as Washington steps up its engagement to counter China in the region.
Ahead of the meeting, Foreign Minister Penny Wong pleaded for Pacific unity over China and climate change, with two member countries not attending. Foreign Minister Penny Wong with Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare at the Pacific Islands Forum on Tuesday,Ahead of leaders’ talks officially getting under way, the Biden administration used the forum to promise a, including new embassies, a boost to foreign aid and a tripling of funding to combat illegal fishing.
Micronesian nations had felt it was their turn for their candidate to have the job and threatened to walk off before a compromise and promise of reform. Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, who is chairing this year’s PIF as host, mirrored Senator Wong’s sentiment. But Senator Wong and Mr Conroy said Australia would still meet its 2030 emissions reduction target despite the possibility of new mines being opened, saying the target applied economy-wide.
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