US to ramp up engagement with Pacific amid tensions over China-Solomons deal
From www.presstv.ir
2022-05-02 09:42:00
Excerpt:
In a bid to ramp up diplomatic engagement with Pacific Island countries, Washington is set to host leaders from the region later this year, a senior US government official has said.
Kurt Campbell, who serves as coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the US National Security Council, made the announcement at a US-New Zealand business summit on Monday, amid rising tensions with China.
Campbell told attendees at the summit that besides hosting island leaders, the Biden administration also intended to step up diplomatic ties with Pacific countries that had not seen ambassadors or engagement for decades.
“For the United States to be effective in the Pacific we must do more, and we must do more on areas that matter and are of significance to the Pacific Islanders,” he said.
Campbell said the Biden administration would also engage with US AID and the new US International Development Finance Corporation to fund projects in the region.
