China in the Pacific
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On June 11, Donald Trump signed a new proclamation reopening nearly 1.3 million square kilometers of Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing. Three marine national monuments – areas previously set aside for protection at Papahānaumokuākea near Hawaii, the Mariana Trench near...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — New Zealand says China's testing of nuclear-capable weapons into the South Pacific is at odds with peace and stability in the Islands region.
China briefed regional governments on Monday of its intention to fire a long-range, nuclear-capable missile with a dummy warhead...
American Samoa is home to Pago Pago Harbor, a rare natural deepwater port in the South Pacific. One hundred twenty-five years ago, Samoan leaders agreed to place American Samoa under U.S. Navy jurisdiction for its own security, and it later became a U.S. territory. The island played a vital role in...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Warnings that Beijing is actively targeting Pacific democracies have intensified in the United States.
As Washington renews its strategic compact ties with three Micronesian nations, there is growing concern over China's political, economic, and security footprint across...
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In an interview with the Honolulu Advertiser, the director of American Samoa’s Dept. of Marine & Wildlife Resources (DMWR), Taotasi Archie Soliai stated that the Chinese presence in the South Pacific is even larger than it appears on paper.
While American Samoa’s...
WASHINGTON — As US-China tensions continue over Taiwan’s independence, economic competitiveness, and defense issues, the US military is building up its presence in Guam. Guam is considered vulnerable, leading the federal government to prepare for further militarization.
The island already hosts...
Canberra, AUSTRALIA — China’s influence in the Pacific creates a paradox for the formation of US policy towards Pacific island nations. If Washington focuses only on China’s involvement in the Pacific, it risks alienating the islands. Yet without mention of China, many US policymakers will remain...
![Vanuatu's Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu [Photo: WikiCommons / Marke Lowen via RNZI]](https://www.samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/eight_col_449px-Ralph_Regenvanu.jpg?itok=C0lCV4hg "Vanuatu's Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu [Photo: WikiCommons / Marke Lowen via RNZI]")
Port Vila, VANUATU — Vanuatu's Foreign Minister says the country has no intention of making itself a target by allowing another country to build a military base in its territory.
Ralph Regenvanu's comment follows Australian media reports that China was looking to establish a military base in...