United States: The United States has confirmed that the country is planning to open an embassy in Vanuatu as Washington moves to boost its diplomatic presence in the Pacific to counter China’s growing influence.

“Consistent with the US Indo-Pacific strategy, a permanent diplomatic presence in Vanuatu would allow the US government to deepen relationships with Ni-Vanuatu officials and society,” the state department remarked in a statement.

Establishing US Embassy Port Vila would facilitate areas of potential bilateral cooperation and development assistance, including efforts to tackle the climate crisis,” the statement added.

Recently, the US reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands after a 30-year absence, and the latest state department announcement follows a visit this month to the region, including Vanuatu, by US Indo-Pacific coordinator Mr. Kurt Campbell. Other US embassies are planned in the Pacific island nations of Kiribati and Tonga.

In March 2023, the Solomon Islands government announced it had awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to a Chinese state company to upgrade an international port in Honiara.

The US and its regional allies have always been concerned that China has ambitions to build a naval base in the region since the Solomon Islands struck a security pact with Beijing in 2022.

Washington has also been working to renew agreements with the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to ensure the islands’ defence and gain exclusive access to huge swaths of the Pacific.

According to reports, the Biden administration seeks more than $7 billion over the next two decades for economic assistance to the three countries, insulating them from growing Chinese influence.

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