Foreign Affairs
A new framework for US involvement in the Pacific will be released as the region’s representatives say the US must address climate change and offer more than a ‘stop-start’ approach to its work
The United States will unveil its blueprint for a greater presence in the Pacific, with Joe Biden’s top Indo-Pacific official promising new diplomatic posts outside the “dominant islands” and more travel for cabinet members and senior officials.
New Zealand also appears to be part of a new group described by Kurt Campbell, the Indo-Pacific National Security Council coordinator as “the partners of the Blue Pacific”.
During a speech in Washington hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and supported by the Australian and New Zealand embassies, Campbell said a number of countries would meet on Saturday (NZT) to discuss a joint approach to the Pacific. to sketch.
“This is to support the Pacific Islands Forum’s vision statement, how outside and existing countries… can support that common vision, how we can ensure our efforts are designed to build on the blueprint they’ve established.” for how they want to see their region develop over time.”
The challenges facing the Pacific transcended the efforts of any individual country, and more coordination was required between the US and other countries, both within and outside the region, to deliver what the Pacific countries wanted.
Campbell said there had been a “significant intensification of political and diplomatic engagement” between the US and New Zealand in recent months, and that he wanted to work “unofficially and appropriately” with countries with an interest in the Pacific. .
“I just want to underline that our mantra will be nothing in the Pacific without the Pacific: We are not going to make decisions or make agreements without the closest possible cooperation with Pacific partners, [and] we will do this in the most open, transparent way.”
The Biden administration wanted to support existing institutions rather than create new ones, he said, with support for the Pacific Islands Forum “the most important thing the United States can do on regionalism.”
It was a pleasure to meet the heads of missions in the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand with @INDOPACOM Admiral Aquilino to discuss security, economic cooperation and development cooperation. Our shared interests and values underpin a free and open Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/XHvRrvTnPL
— Wendy R. Sherman (@DeputySecState) June 23, 2022
Campbell said the US planned to address the issues of greatest concern to the Pacific, such as climate change, the recovery from Covid-19 and illegal fishing.
In a thinly veiled reference to China’s own activities in the region, including a recent failed attempt to sign a region-wide security deal, he said: “Sovereignty is central to how we think and see about the Pacific. initiative that compromises or questions that sovereignty, we would be concerned about.”
There would be more diplomatic facilities across the Pacific, “not just to the dominant islands”, while more cabinet members and other senior officials would visit the region recognizing that “nothing really replaces diplomatic boots on the ground”.
Fiji, which became the first Pacific nation to sign up to the US Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. would likely act as a regional “hub of engagement,” Campbell said.
Prior to Campbell’s speech, US Assistant Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and the head of Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral John Aquilino, met with a number of Pacific ambassadors – including Rosemary Banks, New Zealand’s representative in Washington. – to talk about “security, economic and development cooperation According to a social media post from Sherman.
Satyendra Prasad, Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, told the CSIS event that more predictability and not a “stop-start” approach to how the US engaged with the Pacific, given the long-term nature of the key problems in the region.
“These aren’t three-year projects that we’re dealing with, these aren’t five-year projects: the minimum time spent on anything related to oceans and climate, you’re probably talking about a transition of 10, 15 years and so must be predictable.”
Prasad was blunt when asked how he saw geopolitical competition in the region, saying, “In the US-China political battle, climate change is winning…that’s how we frame our security perspective.”
“If the choice is you ask a particular country and they can’t help you, then you have the choice to say ‘No, we’re not going to provide that service to people’ or you go to another country that might be not the traditional partner and you say to them, ‘Can you help us?’”
– Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Pa’olelei Luteru, the Permanent Representative of Samoa to the United Nations
Gerald Zackios, the Marshall Islands ambassador to the US, said Pacific leaders were aware that internal divisions should not become a weakness that can be exploited by others.
However, it was important to recognize that regional institutions such as the Pacific Islands Forum were not a substitute for direct dialogue with countries.
“We value and value Australia and New Zealand as close partners, and they have long served as a vital bridge between the Pacific islands and the wider circle of allies, but discussions between our partners in Australia and New Zealand about the islands cannot be mistaken for a necessary and direct discussion with the island nations,” Zackios said.
“Time, effort and resources are needed to understand each of us individually, before we really understand how we work as a region — there are no shortcuts here.”
Climate change had to be seen as a security issue rather than a moral priority, while regional fisheries policy was also critical given the impact of global powers on local industry.
Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Pa’olelei Luteru, Samoa’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said there was enthusiasm for expanding the South Pacific Tuna Treaty between the US and the Pacific countries into a broader trade agreement for the region.
Fatumanava tried to offer reassurance about Pacific countries’ relations with China, saying countries were “very well aware” of the wider implications.
“When you’re dealing with important decisions by politicians, and they have a responsibility in certain areas to provide certain services…
“If the choice is you ask a particular country and they can’t help you, then you have the choice to say ‘No, we’re not going to provide that service to people’ or you go to another country that might be not the traditional partner and you say to them, ‘Can you help us?’”