2023-04-29 16:40:54
Published to: Modified to:
US President Joe Biden will meet, on the 22nd of May, with 18 leaders of South Pacific countries, in Papua New Guinea, at a time when Washington and Beijing are vying for influence in the region.
Considered a relatively marginal area from a diplomatic point of view, after the Second World War, the South Pacific became a crucial terrain for the rivalry of the great powers, starting with China and the United States.
According to Papua New Guinea’s head of diplomacy, Justin Tkatchenko, quoted AFP, Joe Biden intends to meet with members of the Pacific Islands Forum and participate in bilateral meetings, adding that the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand will be among those present.
Joe Biden arrives in Papua New Guinea on May 22, becoming the first sitting US president to visit the country in the last century.
The President of the United States will also participate in the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan and and at a summit in Sydney, Australia, with the informal alliance known as the Quad, which brings together the US, Japan, Australia and India.
US Special Envoy Joseph Yun admitted this week that the United States is trying to “to catch up”after years of “relative neglect” during which Beijing increased its influence in the region.
China recently signed a secret security pact with the Solomon Islands, allowing Chinese soldiers to be deployed there. Last March, a Chinese state-owned company won a contract to develop the international port in the capital Honiara, a major victory in Beijing’s quest for a strategic position in the South Pacific. This region could be essential in the event of a military conflict linked to Taiwan.
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